After the serious accident involving two freight trains in Leiferde in the Lower Saxony district of Gifhorn, the cold makes the work of the emergency services more difficult. A fire department spokesman said on Tuesday that the flaring of explosive propane gas from an overturned tank wagon was stopped late Monday evening.
The experts from the plant fire brigade prepared it again – they checked whether the temperature was sufficient. Otherwise there will be “further considerations”, but a solution has not yet been determined. A second torch is also being prepared. The NDR had previously reported.
In view of the cold, there was not enough pressure to burn the gas in a controlled manner. According to the fire brigade spokesman, it has to change from a liquid to a gaseous state. The gas had previously been pumped out of the overturned tank wagons, but this was only half possible due to the lopsided position of the wagons. Burning off the remaining gas could take several days.
Route remains closed until at least November 27th
The accident happened on Thursday on the railway line between Hanover and Berlin. First, a freight train stopped at a signal. According to the findings of the investigators, an employee of Deutsche Bahn wrongly released the route for another freight train. This train with 25 tank cars filled with propane gas collided with the stationary train. Four wagons fell on their side, two were so badly damaged that the gas escaped. The overhead line was also damaged. The train driver was slightly injured.
According to Deutsche Bahn, the route will remain closed until at least November 27th. Trains are diverted. Train passengers must continue to prepare for failures and delays.
In this context, the Pro Bahn passenger association has criticized the passenger information provided by Deutsche Bahn. Although the replacement stops in Uelzen, Salzwedel and Stendal are specified for many trains, the expected delays are not found everywhere or are “clearly too optimistic”, said the passenger association. Passengers often only find out about the delay on the train – which leads to uncertainty as to whether the connections will be reached. Pro Bahn requested additional resources from Deutsche Bahn for the further development of passenger information.
