After an overhead line damage, there is a partial closure of the railway line near Wuppertal. This has a major impact on train traffic in NRW.
Update from April 3, 7:31 p.m: After one derailed near Wuppertal, the salvage has now begun. A rail crane has been in use for this since Monday afternoon (April 3), said a railway spokesman for the German Press Agency. It is still unclear whether the salvage of the crashed wagon will be completed on Monday or on Tuesday (April 4th).
The affected railway line near Wuppertal was initially completely closed, but has since been partially reopened to rail traffic. Of a total of four tracks, two were passable on Monday evening, said the railway spokesman. Long-distance trains and some S-Bahn trains can sometimes pass the accident site again. The restrictions on regional traffic between Wuppertal and Hagen but should 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.
After the accident, the tracks had to be repaired over a length of around 50 meters and at least one catenary mast had to be repositioned. According to Deutsche Bahn, it is still unclear why the accident happened.
Rail closure near Wuppertal affects several lines
In local and regional transport, several lines are affected by the route closure near Wuppertal:
- RE4 (Aachen-Erkelenz-Mönchengladbach-Neuss-Düsseldorf-Wuppertal-Hagen-Witten-Dortmund): The regional express trains from the direction of Aachen Hbf end and begin in Wuppertal Hbf. From the direction of Dortmund Hbf the trains end and begin in Schwelm.
- RE7 (Rhine–Münster–Hamm-Hagen-Wuppertal-Cologne-Neuss-Krefeld): The regional express trains from Krefeld Hbf end and begin in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel. From the direction of Rheine, the trains end and begin in Hagen Hbf.
- RE13 (Hamm-Hagen-Wuppertal-Düsseldorf-Mönchengladbach-Venlo): The regional express trains from the direction of Hamm (Westf) Hbf end and begin in Hagen Hbf. From the direction of Venlo the trains end and begin in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel.
- S7 (Wuppertal-Remscheid-Solingen): No specific impairments are currently known
- S8 (Hagen-Wuppertal-Düsseldorf-Neuss-Mönchengladbach): The S-Bahn trains from Mönchengladbach Hbf end and begin in Wuppertal-Oberbarmen. From the direction of Hagen Hbf, trains end and begin in Schwelm.
- S9 (Haltern/Recklinghausen-Gladbeck-West-Bottrop-Essen-Wuppertal-Hagen): The S-Bahn trains from the direction of Hagen Hbf end and begin in Schwelm. From the direction of Essen Hbf, the trains end and begin in Wuppertal-Oberbarmen.
- Replacement buses are in use on several sections of the route
- Note: as of April 3, 7:20 p.m.; Source: zuginfo.nrw; All statements without guarantee;
Goods wagon derailed near Wuppertal – local traffic could be closed for days
Update from April 3, 1:33 p.m.: The derailed freight wagon and the resulting damage to the overhead line in Wuppertal continue to cause massive problems in NRW rail traffic. After all, Deutsche Bahn wants to gradually resume at least long-distance traffic on the route from Monday afternoon. A railway spokesman said that an attempt was first made to reopen a track on which ICEs and ICs could then pass the scene of the accident. Trains also run on the important railway line from Cologne to Hagen and then on to Berlin, for example.
For local transport, i.e. S-Bahn and regional trains, it will probably take much longer. The railways did not even rule out that the route could only be fully released for local traffic again in a few days.
In the accident on Monday morning, a freight car derailed while maneuvering at the station in Wuppertal-Langerfeld. The overhead line was also damaged. The wagon is to be recovered by a crane on Monday afternoon or evening. According to the railway information, the tracks would then have to be repaired over a length of around 50 meters. In addition, at least one catenary mast must be repositioned.
Railroad closure in Wuppertal after freight car accident
First report from April 3rd: Wuppertal/Essen – A freight wagon derailed during shunting work in Wuppertal on Monday morning. The wagon damaged two catenary masts, a spokesman for the railway said on Monday. The damage caused to the overhead line has been causing major problems in train traffic since Monday morning NRW. As the railway spokesman announced, no trains could currently run on the important east-west axis between Wuppertal and Hagen due to the disruption. “Unfortunately, precise information on the duration of the blocking is not yet available,” says zuginfo.nrw.
The effects on rail traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia are immense, because the important route between Duisburg and Essen in the Ruhr area is also closed due to construction work. Therefore, many long-distance trains of Deutsche Bahn should actually be diverted via Wuppertal.
It is not yet clear how the freight car accident happened. According to the railway information, an attempt must first be made to lift the wagon back onto the tracks with heavy equipment, reports wa.de. (bs with dpa) Fair and independent information about what’s happening in NRW – subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter here. Note: First, there was information that a truck that was supposed to be loaded onto a freight car was the cause of the damage to the overhead line. In the meantime, it has become known that a freight car has derailed. The information has therefore been corrected in the text.
