Vandalism paralyzes rail traffic in the Ruhr area

Several trains will be canceled between Bochum and Essen main station this morning, and there will be disruptions in parts of the Ruhr area and also nationwide.

According to the current forecast, this could last until the early evening hours, according to the information portal Zuginfo.NRW. “The reason for this is vandalism.”

All ICE trains between Dortmund and Essen with a scheduled stop at Bochum main station will be rerouted in both directions; the stop at Bochum main station will no longer be necessary, as Deutsche Bahn said.

As a result, the ICE trains are delayed by around 15 minutes. “Our on-site staff is working hard to resolve the problem.” The fix should be done by noon if possible.

In regional transport, the lines RE1, RE6, RE11 and RE16 as well as the RB49 and the S-Bahn line 1 are affected.

There are cancellations, partial cancellations and delays, reported Zuginfo.NRW.

In the case of the RE1, RE6 and RE11, trains will be redirected in both directions between Essen and Dortmund Hbf with stops in Gelsenkirchen Hbf and Herne.

The stops in Wattenscheid and Bochum Hbf will therefore be canceled and passengers should switch to replacement buses.

RE16 trains from the direction of Hagen end and begin at the main station in Bochum, which means there are partial cancellations between the main stations in Bochum and Essen.

Here too, buses are used instead.

The following applies to the RE40: The trains from the direction of Hagen Hbf end and begin in Bochum Hbf.

In view of partial cancellations, travelers should switch to bus transport.