ICE hits Regiobahn - both trains evacuated - line closed
Two trains on the Ingolstadt-Munich line have to be evacuated. An ICE train probably hits a regional express train. Seven passengers suffer minor injuries, the others get off lightly. This causes delays of up to 60 minutes on the busy route.
An ICE train struck a regional train on the route between Ingolstadt and Munich in Bavaria this afternoon. At least seven people were slightly injured in the accident, according to the Upper Bavaria North Police Headquarters in Ingolstadt. The scene of the accident was in the area of the municipality of Reichertshausen.
Numerous emergency services were on site. The police evacuated both trains. The passengers were taken to the nearby Ilmtalhalle in Reichertshausen. The railroad closed the line completely in the direction of Nuremberg. ICE trains on the route from Munich via Ingolstadt to Nuremberg were diverted. According to Deutsche Bahn, delays of around 60 minutes were to be expected.
Frontal collision initially feared
The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" reported, with reference to an ICE passenger, that the train had braked heavily and wobbled at around 2.10 p.m. and then derailed. It was "now standing on the track". It was initially assumed on the train that there had almost been a "head-on collision". However, according to the police, it is now clear that both trains were traveling in the direction of Munich. There has been no official confirmation of the derailment so far.
It was only on Wednesday that an ICE train carrying 550 passengers rammed into an unoccupied regional train on the route between Hamburg and Bremen. According to reports, the local train was standing on a switch when the ICE hit it at 50 kilometers per hour, despite emergency braking. The express train on its way from Hamburg to Rotenburg had previously hit another switch at around 80 kilometers per hour. Pictures showed the destroyed front end of both trains. The railroad line was completely closed in the area. The exact cause of the accident is currently being investigated.
The International Express (ICE) train involved in the crash was operated by German Railways (Deutsche Bahn). The incident occurred on the Ingolstadt-Munich line in the Bavarian region.
Source: www.ntv.de
