Cable theft on the railway line between Bochum and Essen is causing massive disruption

Unknown people have stolen cables on the central railway line between Bochum and Essen - thereby causing disruptions to regional and national train traffic. All ICE trains between Dortmund and Essen with a scheduled stop at Bochum main station have been redirected in both directions since early morning because the stop at Bochum main station has to be omitted, as Deutsche Bahn said. As a result, the ICE trains are delayed by around 15 minutes.

Regional traffic between Bochum and Essen main station in particular is affected by cancellations, partial cancellations and delays. According to the information portal Zuginfo.NRW, there have been disruptions “on the entire walkway” since early morning. The disruption could last until early evening. The lines RE1, RE6, RE11 and RE16 as well as the RB49 and the S-Bahn line 1 are affected.

Deutsche Bahn: Repairs after cable theft are time-consuming

“Unknown people stole cables along the route between Bochum and Essen. These are cables that are essential for safe and reliable rail operations,” said a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn. The section of route between Essen and Bochum was therefore closed for safety reasons.

The DB spokesman emphasized: "Our experts have been working hard since the disruption began on Sunday to repair the damage caused by the cable theft as quickly as possible." This is complex and time-consuming. The damaged cables with many cores would have to be reconnected by hand in several places. According to DB information, the problem should be resolved by noon if possible.

Federal police are investigating on site

The federal police are investigating “theft in a particularly serious case,” as a spokesman reported upon request. The Federal Police spokesman said we received a fault report from the DB around 1 a.m. on Monday night, closed the section and “our measures began on site.”

Around 15 meters of copper cable were “severed and stolen” near Essen-Steele Ost. There is currently no evidence of the perpetrator or perpetrators, but traces are being secured.

Bus instead of train on several regional lines

According to Zuginfo.NRW, trains on lines RE1, RE6 and RE11 will be rerouted in both directions between Essen and Dortmund Hbf with stops in Gelsenkirchen Hbf and Herne. The stops in Wattenscheid and Bochum Hbf are canceled and passengers should switch to replacement buses.

RE16 and RE40 trains from the direction of Hagen end and begin at the main station in Bochum, the Bochum-Essen section is omitted. In view of the partial cancellations, travelers should switch to the replacement bus service that has been set up.