Severe storms

Train collides with fallen tree in Bavaria

With heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in places, a storm has hit large parts of Germany and caused huge amounts of water and the associated operations and clean-up work.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Moritz Frankenberg)

A Eurocity train in Bavaria collided with a fallen tree that had fallen onto the tracks and came to a standstill. The train, which was near Bad Endorf in the district of Rosenheim, had around 260 passengers on board and was operated by ÖBB. According to the German Federal Police, there were no injuries.

The section of track between Bad Endorf and Prien near Lake Chiemsee has been closed to traffic since shortly after 7pm. According to Deutsche Bahn (DB), the line is expected to be reopened in the morning hours of Wednesday. The overhead line was damaged and had to be repaired. Passengers were taken to Prien in minibuses.

Eurocity not yet towed away
The train was still at the scene of the accident late in the evening. A decision will be made on site as to whether it needs to be towed away or can continue its journey as soon as the power supply is restored, said the railroad spokesman.

According to the German Federal Police, a tree fell onto the overhead line. The train hit it and the tree then fell onto the train.

Long-distance trains turned around or ended their journeys prematurely. This resulted in partial cancellations. An ÖBB spokeswoman recommended that passengers check online for information about connections or train cancellations.

"Vegetation in the track area"
There were also disruptions to rail services elsewhere on Tuesday evening due to severe weather, the spokesperson said. Occasionally, "vegetation fell onto the tracks", especially in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria.