German fast rail traffic paralyzed in south by metal thieves

A precocious fig of high-speed Intercity Express trains were canceled betwixt Frankfurt and Stuttgart connected Monday aft metallic thieves vandalized cardinal infrastructure.

Rail relation Deutsche Bahn said the theft of metallic was discovered connected Monday greeting betwixt Mannheim Central Station and the adjacent municipality of Lampertheim.

The obstruction web would apt not beryllium restored until the evening, Deutsche Bahn said. Further details were not instantly available.

What trains are canceled?

Deutsche Bahn said each ICE trains operating connected the Berlin-Frankfurt-Stuttgart way would beryllium canceled betwixt Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Some ICE trains traveling from the occidental authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia to Munich  successful the southbound via Frankfurt Airport and Stuttgart were besides canceled.

All different ICE trains betwixt Frankfurt and Mannheim volition beryllium rerouted with an expected hold of 20 minutes.

Some section and determination trains successful the portion were besides affected by the disruption.

Metal theft driven by scrap market

Rising prices for scrap metallic have encouraged an expanding fig of copper thieves successful Germany.

These thieves see lone wolves arsenic good arsenic highly organized transgression gangs that usage peculiar tools.

Recently, the theft of copper cablegram adjacent Mannheim successful the lead-up to Christmas caused section disruptions for days.

Earlier successful February, respective ICE trains betwixt Frankfurt and Cologne were disrupted owed to different incidental of stolen metal.

zc/rc (dpa, AFP)