Overview

• In Hannover-Kleefeld, an intoxicated driver struck a bridge bollard that fell onto the tracks and tore down an overhead line, halting an ICE carrying about 900 passengers.
• Passengers, including roughly 400 football fans, were evacuated after hours on the stalled trains, with several medical incidents reported; the damaged ICE was later towed by a diesel locomotive and some riders were bussed to Hannover Hauptbahnhof.
• Deutsche Bahn is rerouting long‑distance services toward Berlin with roughly 25‑minute delays and some cancellations, and movements near Hannover–Lehrte require expert clearance before normal traffic resumes.
• Separately near Lehrte, a burned electrical cabinet tied to a signal box disrupted operations; investigators seized the unit as they probe whether a defect or arson caused the fire after the railway’s site cited vandalism damage.
• Emergency services also faced a large scrapyard fire in Ludwigshafen that burned hundreds of cars without reported injuries or dangerous pollutant readings, and a fatal car crash in Bedburg‑Hau where three people died.