Overview

• On August 3 at around 16:50, a 25-year-old climbed onto a stationary RE1 train at Köln Hauptbahnhof to take a selfie and was struck by a high-voltage arc.
• The train’s roof conductor carries 15,000 volts and can arc without contact at roughly 65 times the power of a household socket, causing the man to catch fire before falling onto the platform.
• He remains hospitalized with extensive burns as authorities investigate the precise circumstances of the accident.
• Service disruptions totaled 261 minutes and affected 21 trains, with three rerouted and three canceled before the track reopened around 17:30.
• Bundespolizei and National Express dispatched support staff for witnesses and reiterated stern warnings against unauthorized access to railway infrastructure.