Overview
- A large branch on the tracks near Köln-Mülheim at 8:30 caused a locomotive failure that halted ICE527 on the Dortmund–Munich route.
- 230 passengers were stranded for over five hours before evacuations began.
- Poor access on a railway bridge delayed evacuation, pushing the first phase to start at 12:12 and the second at 12:55.
- Teams used a parallel evacuation train with special bridges and Cologne fire department ladders to free passengers.
- The disabled train was towed away at 15:30, the line reopened, Deutsche Bahn apologized and confirmed no injuries occurred.