- Le véhicule passe sur le pont et atterrit sur la voie ferrée, ce qui entraîne la fermeture de la voie.
À la gare de triage de Kerpen, située à l'ouest de Cologne, un incident s'est produit impliquant un camion qui a chuté d'un pont sur les voies ferrées. Le conducteur de 42 ans a subi de graves blessures lors de cet incident de mi-journée, nécessitant un traitement en soins intensifs à l'hôpital, selon le rapport de police. Un test de dépistage de drogues effectué sur lui a donné des résultats positifs, entraînant la collecte d'un échantillon de sang.
Les lignes électriques sur la voie ont également été touchées, entraînant la fermeture de la ligne de chemin de fer reliant Cologne et Aix-la-Chapelle. "Le camion doit être récupéré en premier pour dégager les voies", a déclaré un porte-parole de Deutsche Bahn à l'agence de presse Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Il a été établi que les lignes électriques ont été endommagées sur plusieurs voies. Les dommages supplémentaires aux voies ou à l'infrastructure technique ne peuvent être évalués qu'après la récupération du camion.
Récupération prévue
"We are currently planning the retrieval using a crane through the railway and hope that the route will be clear as soon as possible," the railway representative mentioned. However, it's presently impossible to predict when this will occur. The truck was carrying 40 tons of gravel. According to the police, there's no threat from this. However, the collision has caused damage to the truck's fuel tank, resulting in a fuel leak.
Owing to the track closure, there have been delays and cancellations in long-distance train services. ICE trains between Cologne and Brussels are being diverted and are additionally delayed by approximately 90 minutes. IC and ICE trains heading towards or originating in Aachen are already beginning and ending in Cologne. The stops in Düren and Aachen are being skipped over.
As per the disruption forecast from DB InfraGo, the track is likely to remain closed until at least the end of the day. However, it's expected that the disruptions will carry over into the next day's operations and continue beyond," the national transport company National Express conveyed upon request.
According to the police, a train carrying around 60 passengers was nearby the incident site. Since the electricity lines had to be grounded for safety reasons, this train was unable to continue its journey. Nevertheless, the train was evacuated without any injuries after being attended to by the fire brigade.
Witnesses allegedly observed the truck swerve off the road on the bridge around 11:50 a.m., break through the bridge railing, and fall onto the tracks. The cause of this incident remains undetermined, a spokesperson confirmed. Investigations have been initiated and will continue. Disruptions to both rail and road traffic are unavoidable.
The truck that caused the incident was heading towards Cologne before it unfortunate events occurred. Due to the truck's location on the tracks near Cologne, several trains have been rerouted or delayed, affecting travel plans for many commuters and tourists planning to visit Cologne.
