For many who want to take the train to work in the Ruhr area on Wednesday, there is only a home office, waiting or replacement traffic: a signal box damage has caused numerous train cancellations between Essen and Düsseldorf since the night.
Duisburg – A defective signal box near Duisburg has been slowing down train traffic on one of the most important routes through the Ruhr area since Wednesday night.
The Duisburg main train station could no longer be approached since the night, said a spokeswoman on Wednesday. Many local and long-distance train lines cannot pass the section between Essen and Düsseldorf, they turn around early, are canceled or are diverted.
“At the moment we cannot make a forecast as to when the disturbance will be lifted,” said the spokeswoman on Wednesday morning. Replacement services with buses and taxis are being set up for commuters in many places. “We know what such a technical malfunction means for the people out there,” said the railway spokeswoman. The Duisburg signal box is an important hub for travelers in and through the Ruhr area. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that the damage is repaired as quickly as possible and that people get from A to B again.”
According to Deutsche Bahn, all ICEs and ICs on the Dortmund-Essen-Cologne section and on the Oberhausen-Cologne section are affected, according to a message in the morning. Individual long-distance trains should be diverted, which would result in delays of around 20 minutes. However, there are then no numerous stops for travelers, for example in Oberhausen, Düsseldorf, Duisburg and Essen.
Even in regional traffic, which is so important for commuters in the morning, all lines around Duisburg are affected. Quite a few trains are canceled or only run part of the usual route. dpa
