After an embankment fire: Suspected sabotage on a railroad line

Sabotage is also suspected as the cause of the fire on the major rail line between Düsseldorf and Cologne. This was reported by security sources. It is considered unlikely that a technical malfunction could have triggered the fire on the embankment along the rail line.

The Cologne Police Department's State Security Division had already taken over the investigation on Friday. A police spokesperson said they were investigating whether a criminal offense had been committed and whether the fire had been set intentionally.

It is still unclear when the closed section will reopen. According to a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson, repair work will continue at least into the afternoon. As a result, local and long-distance service is experiencing detours, delays, and the cancellation of some trains.

What happened?

According to Deutsche Bahn, the embankment between Langenfeld and Leverkusen caught fire in two places on Friday morning. The fire department extinguished the fires, but the fire caused damage to several signal cables, meaning that no trains could run on that section of the line.