Baumfall near Wittighausen: train traffic paralyzed and 200 passengers affected!

Baumfall near Wittighausen: train traffic paralyzed and 200 passengers affected!

in Wittighausen there was an unusual incident on Tuesday: A 66-year-old man fell a tree near the railway line, which fell into the overhead line of the railway uncontrollably. The train that was then racing towards Würzburg-Heidingsfeld was no longer able to brake in time and was recorded by the tree. This unfortunate collision led to the train could no longer continue and towed, which resulted in an unpleasant intermediate landing for the approximately 200 passengers.

such as [Radiogong] (https://www.radiogong.com/aktuelles/news/wittighausen-wuerzburg-gefaellter-baum-behs-zug traffic) reported immediately to help passengers. A replacement train finally brought her safely to the train station in Würzburg. The railway line was closed until 10:45 p.m. due to the incident, which brought a variety of inconvenience for commuters. The damage incurred amounts to over 100,000 euros, and the 66-year-old is now being investigated.

investigation against hobby gardener

Similar cases in Germany throw a light on the dangers that can arise from overturned trees in rail traffic. The federal police in Bremen investigated two hobby gardeners aged 55 and 57, which felled a tree that fell on the overhead line between Celle and Uelzen. A freight train collided with the tree and tore down the overhead line. A total of 382 trains were affected, which led to more than 20,000 minutes late. In this incident, it is clearly clear that the tree was on the railway area and was therefore owned by the railway, which is still deepened by the legal controversy.

According to the information from the [Bahnblogstelle] (https://bahnblogstelle.com/230216/baum-faell-auf-bahnstrecke- Bundespolmi-ermittelt- against-Hobbygaertner/), the hobby gardeners did not have a permit to fell the tree. This shows the problem of unauthorized tree felling: the high risks and legal consequences. Finally, the obligation to ensure traffic safety in the area of ​​railway lines is of considerable importance - a duty that not only affects railways, but also forest owners. The future legislation is based on this topic, as described at the Wald-Wiki.

future of traffic safety

In order to avoid such incidents in the future, the Federal Government is already planning measures to improve protection in rail operations against trees. The amendment to the General Railway Act, which came into force on July 1, aims to optimize traffic safety at trees along railway lines. This also takes forest owners responsible, which requires closer vegetation control.

Overall, it remains to be hoped that such incidents as in Wittighausen will not become the rule and that both safety on the railway lines and the rights of the forest owners will be clearly defined in order to minimize the risk of passengers and rail operations.