Two freight trains are lying on the railway line in the Gifhorn district after the collision. Several wagons were damaged in the accident in Lower Saxony.
Image: dpa
The section of road was still completely closed on Friday morning. Trains would be diverted, the railway said. Numerous domestic and international connections are affected by delays and train cancellations.
NAfter the collision of two freight trains in the Gifhorn district, long-distance traffic between Berlin and Hanover is severely affected until at least Sunday evening. The section of the route was completely closed, a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn told the German Press Agency early on Friday morning. The trains would be diverted. There could be delays and cancellations. Travelers should inform themselves about their connections before starting their journey, as the company announced.
Among other things, the ICE trains from Switzerland via Frankfurt and Kassel to Berlin are affected. The IC connections between Amsterdam and Berlin only run as far as Hanover and also start there in the opposite direction. Trains that travel from Hamm and Münster via Hanover to Berlin are also affected, according to DB.
In the incident on Thursday morning, a freight train stopped near Leiferde, according to the fire brigade, because of a corresponding signal, and a following freight train drove onto the train for an initially unclear reason. According to a spokesman for the federal police, two tank wagons overturned in the collision and two more derailed. The approaching train consisted of 25 tank wagons filled with propane gas. Explosive propane escaped from two tank cars. The driver of the oncoming train suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.
