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Oldenburg Rail Bridge Crack Triggers Weeks of Long-Distance Cancellations

Engineers have restricted the 70-year-old bascule span to one track at 20 km/h pending bracing of a damaged counterweight.

Overview

  • Deutsche Bahn says ICE and IC trains will terminate in Bremen or Hannover until the second Advent, though local reporting notes the end date remains uncertain.
  • The defect was found during routine maintenance in the truss of a counterweight on the Hunte railway bridge in Oldenburg.
  • Safety measures limit the crossing to single-track operation at 20 km/h until specialized bracing is installed.
  • Regional services are curtailed, with RS30 ending in Hude with replacement buses onward to Oldenburg and RS3 running between Bremen and Oldenburg with delays.
  • One leaf of the two-part bridge cannot open, affecting Hunte river traffic, and the bridge is being checked daily as further weekend and nighttime timetable changes are expected.