The ICE 615 after the accident: the side wall is completely destroyed. The train was traveling from Hamburg to Rotenburg/Wümme Photo: Federal Police Inspectorate Bremen
By René Garzke
A few hours before the start of the major rail strike, there was a dramatic moment on the tracks: In Lower Saxony, an ICE crashed into a regional train on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the police, the latter was in the area of a switch near Lauenbrück train station when the crash occurred.
A blessing in disguise: the ICE was traveling at a reduced speed of only 80 kilometers per hour. The train driver was able to apply the brakes quickly, then collided with the empty regional train at 50 km/h.
Pictures of the two trains show severe destruction, the side walls are torn. They were so badly damaged that both trains could no longer continue.
The 550 passengers on the ICE came away with a shock: no one was injured. The federal police are on site. The ICE was evacuated and the travelers had to walk around 400 meters to Lauenbrück train station.
The railway line was completely closed. The investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing. The regional train operator Metronom set up a replacement bus service for its passengers as well as a hotel train for those waiting at Tostedt station, the company announced on Wednesday evening.