In what officials described as an act of sabotage, attackers cut crucial cables to Germany’s rail network at two places, stopping train traffic in northern Germany for over three hours Saturday morning.
At a news conference, Transport Minister Volker Wessing said that the Federal Police had begun an inquiry into the collision. It is obvious that this was a malicious act that was planned out, he continued.
The unrest immediately raised red flags as NATO and the European Union emphasised last month that critical infrastructure must be protected after the Nord Stream gas pipeline was subjected to what they termed as “sabotage.”
An anonymous security source told Reuters that it was too soon to comment on the vandalism that occurred today on German railroads.
“The insider continued, “There are several potential causes for the catastrophe, ranging from a simple, frequent cable theft at this time to a premeditated attack. An comprehensive investigation into the accident has commenced.”
Deutsche Bahn, a German railroad corporation, released the following statement: “Deutsche Bahn has halted travel on the northern railway line this morning for almost three hours due to the sabotage of the cables that link to the line.
Earlier, the business claimed that a radio communications issue was to blame for the outage. Despite their return and the announcement of flight cancellations or delays, she continued by saying that the movement of trains was not organised after today.
Train services in Bremen, Hamburg, and Lower Saxony were all impacted by the delays.
Movement was impeded on lines connecting Berlin to portions of North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, and other northern and western German provinces. Thousands of passengers were left stranded at numerous stations around the impacted areas due to the disruption of the Berlin-Amsterdam line.
Der Spiegel said that the GSM-R network, a cellular network for train communications, had been compromised, citing security sources.
Regarding the daily “Bild,” it made note of the fact that any cable alteration necessitates “a certain proportion of understanding” regarding the train system.
The incident occurs more than two weeks after the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines between Germany and Russia were sabotaged. Additionally, the German government has improved the security of its crucial infrastructure.
For many years, Deutsche Bahn has received flak for the delays in its services.
The terrible condition of Germany’s railway infrastructure as a result of years of underinvestment was brought to light by a train disaster in the Bavarian Alps in early June that resulted in the deaths of five persons and the injury of more than forty.
Germans, who typically love their cars, have recently been urged by the government to take the trains by providing affordable tickets.
Germany’s northern trains are disrupted by vandalism.
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