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.