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CologneDüsseldorf Rail Reopens After Sabotage Cuts Trigger 17-Hour Shutdown

Police are investigating suspected sabotage with state security examining a possible political motive.

Overview

  • Unidentified perpetrators opened an underground cable shaft near Leverkusen and cut multiple signal cables with a cutting tool, disabling a signal box and halting traffic on the key north–south corridor.
  • Deutsche Bahn diverted long-distance trains and ran replacement buses for regional services before restoring regular operations on Monday evening; Tuesday morning service ran normally.
  • A separate outage caused by a damaged overhead line near Uelzen stopped BerlinHamburg services on Monday, with repairs completed overnight and traffic resuming early Tuesday.
  • Kriminalpolizei and the Staatsschutz are collecting evidence and assessing motive, and authorities have not announced arrests or definitive findings.
  • Transport remained under pressure from other incidents, including a Tuesday morning track closure between Duisburg and Mülheim due to burned sleepers and ongoing detours after a freight derailment near Emmerich.