A derailed freight car and a major construction site caused massive disruptions to the railways in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region on Monday. Two of three important east-west axes between the Rhineland and Westphalia were closed to long-distance traffic. ICEs and ICs had to make wide detours via the northern Ruhr area – where space on the rails also became tight. Numerous connections were canceled for S-Bahn and regional trains. Travelers have to be prepared for restrictions throughout the Easter holidays.
In Wuppertal, a goods wagon derailed on Monday morning during shunting work at Langerfeld station. Two catenary masts were damaged. On Monday afternoon, the railway began to salvage the crashed wagon. A rail crane is being used for this purpose, said a railway spokesman. According to the railway, it was initially unclear why the accident happened.
The important connection, on which long-distance trains from Cologne to Hagen and then on to Berlin, for example, was initially completely blocked. On Monday afternoon, a track was released on which long-distance trains could pass the accident site. Later, according to the railway spokesman, individual S-Bahn trains were also allowed to pass.
The restrictions in regional traffic between Wuppertal and Hagen will remain in place for the time being. “I think that will keep us busy for a few more days,” said the railway spokesman. However, an exact prognosis is not yet possible. Two of a total of four tracks were passable on Monday evening. According to the railway spokesman, it was still unclear whether the salvage of the crashed wagon would be completed on Monday or on Tuesday. The tracks also have to be repaired over a length of around 50 meters and at least one catenary mast has to be repositioned.
The accident in Wuppertal had a particularly large impact on rail traffic on Monday, because at the same time the route from Duisburg to Essen is scheduled to be closed a little further north. There, Deutsche Bahn is modernizing and expanding the rail network during the two-week Easter holidays. As a result, two important connections for local and long-distance traffic between the major cities in the Rhineland and in Westphalia were sealed.
A railway spokesman said it had to be looked at where there was still room in the rail network for additional trains. Many ICEs from Cologne and Düsseldorf were routed via the northern Ruhr area to Dortmund and Hamm without stopping. At times this was the only usable east-west connection, said the spokesman. Finally, there were also problems on this diversion due to disruptions in two signal boxes. The train could not initially say how many trains were affected and how the delays totaled.
In local transport, travelers had to improvise and accept long detours and several changes. Numerous trains ended prematurely, some were diverted. The railway used replacement buses from Wuppertal in the direction of Hagen.
Because of the construction work, only buses drove between Essen and Duisburg. The vast majority of commuters at Essen Central Station were well informed about the construction work on Monday morning and knew how to get to their destination with other trains or the replacement buses. The spokesman said that DB service staff were on site at all affected stations to help with questions.
The tracks from Dortmund to Münster and from Oberhausen to Arnhem in the Netherlands are also closed during the Easter holidays due to construction work. Overall, there were diversions and failures on more than 25 lines on Monday for S-Bahn and regional trains in the Ruhr area and the surrounding area. A railway spokesman recommended travelers to use the railway’s online information. The changes are taken into account there.
Notification of construction work in Duisburg/Essen Notification of construction work in Dortmund/Münster Notification of construction work in Emmerich/Oberhausen
