Large-scale disruption to train services in western Germany due to cable theft

A large-scale disruption in train traffic occurred in western Germany due to the theft of cables by unknown attackers, the DPA agency reports, citing the Deutsche Bahn railway concern.

“Due to acts of vandalism on the railway line, train service from the main station of Gelsenkirchen (North Rhine-Westphalia - ed.) has been suspended since early morning. Many trains have been canceled or redirected,” the publication says.

It is reported that intercity and international rail services from Dortmund to Munich, from Hamburg to Basel, Switzerland, as well as on routes connecting northern Germany with Cologne are currently disrupted.

The Gelsenkirchen police, in turn, said that an investigation into a case of intentional damage to property and theft is currently underway. According to preliminary data, unknown persons entered the railway tracks in the Gelsenkirchen-Jückendorf area early in the morning and tore out cables in several places, causing signaling and control systems to fail.