Serious train accident near Gifhorn: Persistent danger of explosion - detours for train passengers

Created: 11/18/2022, 12:15 p.m

By: Bernd Schlegel

There was a serious train accident on Thursday in the early hours of the morning near Leiferde (Gifhorn district).

There are still significant supra-regional obstacles for rail passengers.

Update from November 18th, 2022, 10:54 a.m .:

After the train accident near Leiferde (Gifhorn district), there will be significant disruptions in long-distance and local traffic until at least Sunday evening, since many trains are canceled or diverted.

Meanwhile, the salvage of the crashed tank wagons is proving difficult.

They continue to leak propane gas.

There is still a risk of explosion there.

Travelers from southern Lower Saxony and northern Hesse

who want to travel in the direction of Berlin are asked by Deutsche Bahn to take the following routes:

• Between 

  Göttingen 

  and 

  Berlin

   , the ICE trains should be used via Erfurt Hbf.

  The RE line 1 runs

  between

  Erfurt and Göttingen (journey time: around 100 minutes).

• Between 

  Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe 

  and 

  Berlin 

  , the long-distance connections should be used

  with a change in Eisenach or Fulda

  .

Passengers should expect high capacity utilization on the trains that are still running!

In the event of a delay or cancellation of the train, general passenger rights apply.

You find further information on the topic here.

Due to a route closure, there will be delays and cancellations between Berlin and Hanover until at least Sunday evening.

The following connections are affected:

• ICE trains Switzerland - Karlsruhe - Frankfurt (M) - Kassel - Berlin

  will be diverted.

  The Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe, Göttingen and Wolfsburg stops are no longer available.

  Alternatively, the trains stop in Erfurt and Halle.

• ICE trains NRW - Hamm or Münster/Westf - Hanover - Berlin

  will be diverted and will be delayed by around 90 minutes.

  The Wolfsburg stop is omitted.

  Alternatively, the trains stop in Stendal.

• IC trains Leipzig - Magdeburg - Hanover - Bremen - Emden - Norddeich Mole

  are canceled between Leipzig and Hanover.

• IC trains Amsterdam - Osnabrück - Hanover - Berlin

  end/start in Hanover Hbf. The stops in Wolfsburg, Stendal and Berlin are omitted.

Two freight trains collided near Gifhorn on Thursday morning.

Several wagons were damaged in the accident in Lower Saxony.

© Fernando Martinez Lopez/TNN/dpa

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The section of line near Leiferde in the Gifhorn district is still completely closed, the trains would be diverted, said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn on Friday.

According to a spokesman for the federal police, explosive propane gas continued to escape from two tank wagons.

Before the salvage, the wagons had to be empty, he said: "Any spark can lead to a disaster there." The spokesman explained that 50 tons of gas were loaded per tank wagon - it can be assumed that around 250 kilograms escaped per hour.

The situation at the scene of the accident is unchanged.

The other cars of the two trains of private railway companies have not yet been recovered.

The scene of the accident was cordoned off and secured during the night.

Serious train accident near Gifhorn: investigations initiated

Update from November 17th, 2022, 4:15 p.m .:

Investigations into the cause of the accident have now begun.

Accident investigators have secured papers from one of the locomotives.

In the accident, a freight train ran into another one standing in front of a signal.

Such accidents are usually prevented by the safety technology installed on the routes.

The locomotive derailed from one of the two freight trains that collided.

© Federal Police Inspectorate Hanover

It ensures that no other train can enter a section with a stationary train.

How exactly the accident happened, whether it was due to technical or human error, is now "the subject of ongoing investigations," according to the federal police.

Experts from the Federal Railway Authority, among others, will deal with the investigations.

Local and long-distance rail traffic will probably be affected for a few more days.

It was still unclear on Thursday when the route could be released again.

Significant delays due to diversions are to be expected.

There is a rail replacement service in local transport.

A 45-year-old train driver was injured.

He came to the hospital.

Serious train accident near Gifhorn: Explosive gas leaks

Update from 11.15 a.m .:

Gifhorn – The cause of the serious train accident between Lehrte and Wolfsburg near Leiferde (Gifhorn district) is still in the dark.

This much is clear: According to the federal police in Hanover, around 3.30 a.m., a freight train drove into a stationary freight train from behind.

The locomotive of the arriving freight train had 25 tank wagons with propane gas on the hook.

Two tank wagons overturned and two more tank wagons derailed.

A serious train accident occurred on Thursday morning (11/17/2022) near Leiferde in the Gifhorn district.

Two freight trains collided, causing two tank wagons carrying propane gas to tip over.

© Federal Police Inspectorate Hanover

The crashed locomotive was lifted off the tracks

The locomotive was also severely damaged and lifted off the tracks.

Leaks developed on two tank wagons, from which propane gas is now escaping.

In addition, the overhead line of the railway line was demolished for several hundred meters.

The 45-year-old train driver was injured in the impact and had to be taken to the hospital.

The driver of the other train is said to have been slightly injured.

Electricity on the railway line had to be switched off

The scene of the accident was cordoned off over a large area, the electricity had to be switched off and the route closed completely.

Federal police, fire brigade and emergency managers from Deutsche Bahn AG are on site.

No information can currently be given about the duration of the clean-up work and the extent of the damage.

There are massive restrictions on rail traffic between Hanover and Berlin.

First report from 8.30 a.m.:

Gifhorn – On the railway line between Leiferde and Dalldorf there was a serious train accident on Thursday around 3.30 a.m. in Lower Saxony.

For reasons that are not yet known, a freight train ran into another freight train that was waiting at a signal.

Two wagons are said to have derailed.

Explosive propane gas was apparently escaping at the scene of the accident.

The rescue work is therefore particularly difficult.

Serious train accident near Gifhorn: freight trains collide - two train drivers injured

The overturned tank wagons.

© Federal Police Inspectorate Hanover

Because of the accident, the railway line between Lehrte and Wolfsburg is interrupted.

The overhead line is said to have been torn down over several hundred meters.

ICE trains have to be diverted over a wide area.

There are sometimes delays of more than an hour.

Regional traffic with Enno trains between Wolfsburg and Lehrte is also interrupted.

A rail replacement service is to be set up.

Another problem: An important diversion route for trains, the Weddel Loop between Braunschweig and Wolfsburg, is currently closed.

Disabilities in rail traffic after an accident with freight trains near Leiferde in Lower Saxony

According to Bahn, the following long-distance train connections are affected:

• ICE trains NRW - Hamm - Hanover - Berlin

  will be diverted and will be delayed by around 60 minutes.

• ICE trains Switzerland / Frankfurt(M) - Kassel - Göttingen - Berlin

  will be diverted and will be delayed by around 60 minutes.

• IC trains Hanover - Stendal - Leipzig - Dresden

  are cancelled.

• IC trains Cologne - Dortmund - Hanover - Magdeburg - Leipzig - Dresden

  are canceled between Cologne Hbf and Braunschweig Hbf.

• IC trains Amsterdam - Osnabrück - Hanover - Berlin end/start in Hanover Hbf.

  The stops in Wolfsburg Hbf, Stendal Hbf, Berlin-Spandau, Berlin Hbf and Berlin Ostbahnhof are no longer available.

• Unfortunately, all other IC/ICE trains

  in this section are cancelled

Train passengers should inform themselves before starting their journey.

(Bern Schlegel)

Related topics:

There have been several tragic train accidents in Lower Saxony in the past.

A serious train accident happened in Northeim 30 years ago.

In 2014, a goods wagon derailed at a level crossing near Göttingen;

thousands of drink cans were scattered.