Railway chaos in the Palatinate: trains between Landau and Winden closed!

Railway chaos in the Palatinate: trains between Landau and Winden closed!

The railway line between Landau and Winden has been closed in the southern Palatinate since Friday. The closure became necessary after a roof building under the tracks in the railway embankment near Landau has collapsed. This led to a lowering of the track bed, which has a significant impact on rail traffic. The Zweckverband Rheinland-Pfalz Süd informed about the incident on Friday. Deutsche Bahn reacted with foresight and closed the route for train traffic on Thursday to prevent further damage. The situation is currently extremely uncomfortable for commuters and day trippers, as there is no way to switch to a bus transfer from Landau to Karlsruhe. This is reported by the Rheinpfalz .

The effects are far -reaching. Train travelers between Neustadt and Karlsruhe have to expect significant disabilities. The strongly frequented route, which is a main connection between these cities, is particularly affected. Usually at least two trains per hour run here. At the moment, however, all trains have to pass the affected area at walking speed, which leads to delays. Many other trains around Landau fail or are much late. Deutsche Bahn used ten buses in emergency traffic as replacement measures. Six of them commute between Landau and Winden, while four express buses between Neustadt and Karlsruhe are offered, which also drive in the towns of Kandel and Wörth.

unclear perspective

The exact duration of the blocking is so far unclear. The stabilization of the affected area with earth and building material is imperative to restore security. In addition, an exemption from the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Environment is necessary to take the necessary measures against the badgers. The previous experiences indicate that train failures may still last weeks. Another block was announced on March 17 for the railway line between Bad Dürkheim and Deidesheim due to a similar roof problem.

The chronology of the roof damage in the Palatinate is not new. In the past, there have been several full closures through the badgers, such as between July 2021 and May 2022 on the Bad Dürkheim-Freinsheim route and between July and September 2022 on the Freinsheim-Grünstadt route. These problems require regular examinations of the railway lines for possible damage. The current situation once again shows how important such exams are to ensure the integrity of the rail connections. This is also illustrated by the SWR .