Massive train cancellations: Forchheim-Bamberg railway line closed until Monday!

Massive train cancellations: Forchheim-Bamberg railway line closed until Monday!

The railway line between Forchheim and Bamberg is closed due to a devastating fire, and the situation could remain tense until Monday, July 14th. As reported by deutschebahn.com, the passenger underpass in Hirschaid has been massively damaged, which has an immediate impact on train traffic. Deutsche Bahn (DB) is investing great efforts in stabilizing the underpass, the damage to which is far more serious than initially expected.

The fire was discovered on Friday night at 3:15 a.m. According to a statement from nn.de, arson was suspected because wooden slats and pallets in the underpass burst into flames. The fire brigade quickly got the fire under control, but the material damage is estimated at around 25,000 euros, with the follow-up costs for rail traffic likely to be even higher.

Replacement services and train cancellations

Due to these incidents, there are significant restrictions on rail traffic. The S-Bahn line S 1 from Nuremberg ends early in Forchheim. A replacement service with buses and large-capacity taxis will be set up to run between Forchheim and Bamberg. While the buses serve the route without stopping, the large taxis make stops at the stops in Strullendorf, Hirschaid, Buttenheim and Eggolsheim, although the stops in Forchheim Nord cannot be reached due to road construction work.

The DB expects high utilization of the replacement service and travelers must expect significant delays. This will result in travel time extensions of up to 100 minutes on the important ICE route between Munich and Berlin, which will also be rerouted. Stops in Bamberg and Erlangen are completely canceled, which poses additional challenges for travelers. IC connections between Kassel and Gera and from Leipzig to Nuremberg are also affected.

Waiting for recovery

As tz.de reports, Deutsche Bahn will do everything in its power to complete the work on stabilizing the underpass as quickly as possible. However, the installation of two large auxiliary bridges requires both the dismantling of the track and the use of a rail-mounted crane to lift the 25-ton bridges. The target is to complete the work by Sunday, but traffic is not expected to fully resume before Monday morning.

The criminal police have already started investigations into suspected arson and are looking for witnesses. Travelers are encouraged to find out about the current traffic situation and alternative traffic before they start their journey. The situation remains tense and track fans may have to wait a bit until everything runs smoothly again.