Due to a signal box malfunction near Kassel and an emergency doctor at Bad Hersfeld, nothing works for three ICE trains for hours. 1,600 travelers are stuck in Bebra.
Bebra - The fire brigade in Bebra (Hersfeld-Rotenburg district) had to cope with an unusual operation in the night from Friday (12 May) to Saturday. Three Deutsche Bahn ICE trains stood at the station for several hours. Around 1,600 passengers were affected, who had to be supplied with drinks by the emergency services.
The trigger for the unplanned stop of the three trains in Bebra was, according to police, an emergency medical operation near Bad Hersfeld. The ICE were already delayed because a signal box malfunction near Kassel on the route between Göttingen and Fulda had brought long-distance traffic to a standstill on Friday evening between 20 p.m. and midnight.
Three Deutsche Bahn ICE trains are stranded in Bebra. (Symbolic image) © Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
1,600 passengers are stuck for hours in Bebra - signal box malfunction and emergency medical service in northern Hesse
On request, Deutsche Bahn said on Saturday that around 1,600 travelers were affected. According to initial media reports, the number was 1,900. "The disruption was resolved around 22:30 p.m., after which the ICE trains were able to continue their journey. Due to an emergency medical operation in Oberhaun, two of the ICE trains had to be held back again in front of Bebra. They were able to continue their journey around 2 a.m.," the group said.
The alarmed fire brigade took care of the people on the trains and later wrote on their Facebook page: "Thank you very much for the kind words and the gratitude of the train passengers for our volunteer work that night." (csa)
Due to construction work on the Fulda-Kassel high-speed line, ICE trains have been diverted via local tracks in the district since April.