Wuppertal/Essen.
Rail traffic in NRW is already strained due to a major construction site during the Easter holidays. Another route is closed after an accident.
A derailed goods wagon and a major construction site are causing massive disruptions to the railways in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. Two of three important east-west axes between the Rhineland and Westphalia were closed to long-distance traffic on Monday. ICEs and ICs had to make wide detours via the northern Ruhr area – where space on the rails also became tight. Numerous connections were canceled for S-Bahn and regional trains.
In Wuppertal, a freight wagon derailed on Monday morning during shunting work at Langerfeld station. Two catenary masts were damaged. The railways began salvaging the derailed freight car on Monday afternoon. A rail crane is being used for this purpose, said a railway spokesman. In addition to long-distance trains, individual S-Bahn trains should also be allowed to pass the accident site.
Major impact on rail traffic on Monday
The restrictions in regional traffic will remain in place for the time being. “I think that will keep us busy for a few more days,” said the railway spokesman. However, an exact prognosis is not yet possible. Two of a total of four tracks were passable on Monday evening. According to the railway spokesman, it was still unclear whether the salvage of the crashed wagon would be completed on Monday or on Tuesday.
A freight wagon derailed on Monday morning while maneuvering at Langerfeld station and damaged the overhead line. The accident had far-reaching consequences for rail traffic in North Rhine-Westphalia. At the same time, because the route between Duisburg and Essen a little further north is closed for construction work as planned, two connections that are important for local and long-distance traffic between the major cities in the Rhineland and in Westphalia were closed.
Travelers have to improvise and take detours
Because of the construction work, only buses drove between Essen and Duisburg. The vast majority of commuters at Essen Central Station were well informed about the construction work on Monday morning and knew how to get to their destination with other trains or the replacement buses. The spokesman said that DB service staff were on site at all affected stations to help with questions.
Read more: Construction sites – railway line in the Ruhr area closed for two weeks
Recommendation: Use online information from the railways
The tracks from Dortmund to Münster and from Oberhausen to Arnhem in the Netherlands are also closed during the Easter holidays due to construction work. Overall, there were diversions and failures on more than 25 lines on Monday for S-Bahn and regional trains in the Ruhr area and the surrounding area. A railway spokesman recommended travelers to use the railway’s online information. The changes are taken into account there.
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