Rail traffic across Germany’s Ruhr region was severely disrupted by a major incident on Saturday. Unknown perpetrators cut through and partially stole cables along the tracks in Gelsenkirchen, disabling critical signaling and control systems.
The result was widespread service outages for both regional and long-distance trains, with diversions and replacement bus services put in place. According to Deutsche Bahn, the disruption affected approximately 300 trains.
Main station cut off for most of the morning
The cable damage occurred along Almastraße in the Ückendorf district.
Police were alerted at around 5:00 a.m.
From 4:55 a.m., it became impossible for trains to access Gelsenkirchen’s main station, and large-scale restrictions impacted nearly the entire rail junction.
Trains had to terminate at other stations or follow alternate routes.
Cables were cut and removed by the perpetrators
According to police, the cables were damaged at several points.
Some of the cables were entirely removed by those responsible.
This has led investigators to consider the possibility that the motive may have been metal or material theft.
However, German authorities have not announced any evidence of politically motivated sabotage at this time.
This possibility therefore cannot be stated as fact.
In recent weeks, Germany has also dealt with actual attacks on critical infrastructure. Aktualizované.sk previously reported on an incident where perpetrators attempted to cause a massive blackout at the Jänschwalde power plant.
Signals failed completely
The cutting of the cables immediately compromised safety systems.
Both signaling and traffic control failed, making it unsafe for trains to pass through the affected area.
Deutsche Bahn was forced to halt rail traffic.
The outage impacted not only local trains but also key long-distance connections between Dortmund, Cologne, Munich, Hamburg, and even Basel.
Hundreds of trains delayed or cancelled
The consequences were extensive.
According to Deutsche Bahn, around 300 trains were affected by the incident.
Some services were cancelled entirely, others were rerouted or terminated before reaching Gelsenkirchen.
Bus services had to replace several regional rail lines.
Aktualizované.sk has previously reported on a similar incident in Slovakia, where the tearing down of overhead power lines in the Kysuce region led to the cancellation of at least 18 trains and hours-long disruptions.
Repairs completed by Saturday afternoon
Deutsche Bahn technicians began repairing the damaged cables immediately.
By around noon, basic system functions were restored, and trains gradually returned to the tracks.
However, delays and service interruptions persisted into the afternoon, as the disruption to this major rail hub affected connecting services across the Ruhr.
Police searching for suspects
Investigators are now working to identify those responsible for the cable damage and determine their motive.
Police are pursuing the theft theory, as some cables are missing.
They must also clarify whether the perpetrators were aware of the considerable disruption their actions would cause.
At present, there is no confirmation that this incident is related to previous sabotage attacks on German infrastructure.
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The Gelsenkirchen case highlights the vulnerability of modern railways to relatively minor interference with cable infrastructure.
Just a few cut cables were enough to shut down a major transport hub for hours and disrupt hundreds of train services across western Germany.
Source: Info.sk
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
