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Fire brigade operation (symbol image)
Photo: Julian Stratenschulte/ dpa
Early Thursday morning there was a serious accident involving two freight trains in Lower Saxony, according to the fire brigade.
Several wagons were damaged in the Gifhorn district, and according to the fire department, explosive propane gas escaped from at least one wagon.
The important railway line with numerous ICE and IC connections was closed, causing train cancellations and delays.
A freight train stopped near Leiferde because of a corresponding signal, said a spokesman for the fire brigade.
Then a following freight train drove onto the train.
The driver of the oncoming train was injured and taken to a hospital.
The driver of the other train was slightly injured.
The background of the accident is unclear.
According to a spokesman for the federal police, two tank wagons overturned in the collision and two more derailed.
In total, the approaching train consisted of 25 tank wagons filled with propane gas.
The cause of the accident was initially unclear.
According to the fire brigade, the gas must first escape completely, said the federal police spokesman.
The clean-up work and the investigation should take at least a day, he announced.
It is not yet known how much explosive propane gas escaped, the fire department said.
However, there is no danger for the population because the scene of the accident is in the middle of a forest.
Several hundred meters of overhead lines were also torn down in the accident, and the electricity was shut off.
Experts from the Federal Office for Railway Accident Investigation were expected around noon.
Delays and train cancellations
According to Deutsche Bahn, the ICE connection between Hanover and Berlin is also affected by the route closure due to the accident.
The trains would be diverted and delayed by about 60 minutes.
This also applies to the ICE trains from Switzerland via Frankfurt and Kassel to Berlin.
The IC connections between Amsterdam and Berlin only run as far as Hanover and also start there in the opposite direction.
Other ICE and IC trains in the section were canceled.
Travelers should find out about their connections before embarking on their journey.
According to the fire brigade, the clean-up work on the route is likely to take some time.
Regional traffic was also affected by the closure of the route between Wolfsburg and Lehrte.
The Enno line RE30 from Hanover via Gifhorn to Wolfsburg was affected.
The company announced that trains only commuted on the section between Hanover and Lehrte.
A rail replacement service should be set up as soon as possible.
jpz/dpa
