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Extreme cold wreaks havoc on suburban trains in Munich and Berlin

Munich’s Ostbahnof was completely closed down on Wednesday morning after freezing temperatures made regular service impossible. In Berlin the situation was only slightly better.

Published: 28 February 2018 11:08 CET
Extreme cold wreaks havoc on suburban trains in Munich and Berlin
A broken down S-Bahn train in Munich on Tuesday. Photo: DPA

The closure of Ostbahnhof, one of the main stations in the Bavarian capital, meant that all S-Bahn lines and regional trains travelling in and out of the city’s east were affected, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports.

Deutsche Bahn said that the extremely cold temperatures had caused a problem with the switches at the busy station meaning the rails could not be properly connected.

The situation was fixed later on Wednesday morning, and the S2, S3, S6 and S8 lines had all resumed regular service.

This was the third day of rail disruptions in Munich. On Tuesday the airport was unreachable for more than an hour and on Monday passengers were left sitting in trains for hours waiting for the line to be repaired.

DB has named various causes for the chaos, including defective overhead wiring and broken down trains.

In Berlin the S-Bahn was also hit by major problems on Wednesday morning, as defective switches caused delays on the Ringbahn.

Berlin daily Tagesspiegel reports that the cold weather was behind the switch problems. The key S41 line was only running every ten minutes on Wednesday morning. The S3, S5, S7, S75 and S9 were all also running irregularly.

Just like in Munich, this was the third day of delays on the suburban rail lines.

The German Weather Service has said that the weather will begin to improve on Thursday.

WEATHER

More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Severe storms and heavy rain affected parts of Germany on Thursday, creating disruptions. More rain is forecast on Friday but weather warnings have been lifted.

Published: 3 May 2024 09:53 CEST
More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Major storms hit western Germany on Thursday, causing travel disruption and flooding. 

In parts of Baden-Württemberg, streets were flooded and rivers swelled. Bisingen, southwest of Tübingen, was particularly hard hit, with cellars and streets plunged under water.

Police said there was also traffic disruption. In Baden-Württemberg’s state capital Stuttgart, severe storms and lightning caused issues and some roads were closed.

A lightning strike in the Sigmaringen area resulted in a broken signal box on the railway line. According to Deutsche Bahn, no train journeys were possible in the region in the early evening with several delays and cancellations.

Other states were also affected.

There were around 300 relief operations in the Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was hit by the 2021 deadly flood disaster.

Police said no-on was injured, although basements and streets were flooded. The water levels of the Ahr were being closely monitored.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Silas Stein

In Trier, too, streets were flooded after heavy rain and there were hailstorms. The Koblenz police headquarters reported fallen trees. Significant property damage due to full cellars and flooded streets was also reported in some areas. 

Heavy showers also fell in Hesse, accompanied by thunder storms. In Frankfurt, according to the fire department, the heavy rain caused water to enter the Bethanien Hospital and even reach the intensive care unit of the clinic.

“We were able to contain the damage relatively quickly and prevent it from spreading,” said fire department spokesman Thorben Schemmel, adding that no patients were affected.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Eifel region was particularly affected, with reports of flooded streets after heavy rain and hailstorms.

North Rhine-Westphalia also saw storms late in the afternoon on Thursday. 

The German Weather Service (DWD) said it expected some heavy rain and hail in parts of the country on Friday – particularly in the west – and at the weekend but warnings of severe weather have been lifted. 

The DWD said there could still be one or two strong thunderstorms in the northeast on Friday. However, it will be a significantly quieter day compared to Thursday. Temperatures of up to 25C can be expected.

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