Gelsenkirchen railway traffic halted due to suspected cable theft

Massive railway disruptions occurred in the Gelsenkirchen area of North Rhine-Westphalia following suspected cable theft and vandalism. On Saturday morning, unknown perpetrators cut and forcibly removed cables in the Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf district, causing widespread failure of signaling and control systems.

The disruption affected approximately 300 regional and long-distance trains. Major routes were impacted, including connections from Dortmund to Munich, Hamburg to Basel, and North Germany to Cologne. The Gelsenkirchen main station was temporarily closed, and several regional lines, such as the RE 1, RE 2, and RE 6, faced cancellations, diversions, or early terminations.

Police and federal investigators secured evidence at the scene. While authorities are investigating all possibilities, they currently believe the incident was a theft rather than sabotage. Although repair work allowed some trains to resume service by midday, Deutsche Bahn warned that delays and disruptions would persist throughout the afternoon.