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ICE line between Kassel and Göttingen: swan in the track bed
Photo: Federal Police / dpa
Due to a swan on an ICE line, there were significant train delays in Hesse.
The day before Christmas Eve, the animal got lost with a conspecific in the area of the high-speed route between Kassel and Göttingen, said a spokesman for the federal police on Monday.
The other animal "probably got into the live overhead line and could only be recovered dead by officers of the Kassel Federal Police," said the spokesman.
The surviving swan then sat in the area of the tracks and did not allow himself to be lured away.
Apparently he mourned his dead fellow.
The railway line was temporarily closed to train traffic until the Fuldatal fire brigade lifted the swan from the tracks.
The animal was later released.
The incident caused 23 trains to be delayed by around 50 minutes each, it said.
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wit / dpa