Interferences due to flooding

From July 14, 2021, onwards, storm Bernd led to severe flooding, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Rhineland-­Palatinate, resulting in multiple days of severe and protracted rainfall which caused catastrophic damage in the affected regions. This also included serious damage to our infrastructure. Tracks, switches, signaling, bridges, stations, interlockings and vehicles were badly damaged. A total of about 600 km of track and over 50 bridges along with dozens of stations and stops were affected. Discussions have been started with the Federal Government on the financing of damage repair measures. Several main and secondary lines are or were no longer accessible due to the flood. However, important traffic routes and connections were resumed a few days after the severe storms. Apart from a few exceptions, passengers can travel on long-distance trains again without restrictions or limitations. The operational situation in rail freight transport has improved. On the S-Bahn (metro) and regional transport, however, longer restrictions are expected on some lines as a result of extensive repair and reconstruction measures.

In addition, the storm also caused considerable damage and problems to rail operations in Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-­Württemberg. In some cases, cross-border passenger and freight transport in the direction of Austria and the Czech Republic was significantly restricted.