Berlin is investigating a series of sabotage on the railway

German authorities are investigating a series of incidents on railway lines. Cable breaks, fires at alarm posts and traffic disruptions may be the result of deliberate actions. The police do not rule out sabotage or political motives.

The biggest emergency is as follows: on the Koblenz railway line in Rhineland-Palatinate, unknown persons damaged a power cable belonging to the infrastructure of the Deutsche Bahn company. Although the incident probably occurred in early September, it was discovered only three weeks later after a thorough analysis of unusual voltage fluctuations in the Neuwied—Koblenz section.

According to the Federal police of Trier, the attackers entered the cable shaft, removed its cover and cut the cable with a diameter of about 5 cm, which led to a short circuit and a fire. Since the line was automatically switched to backup power, the incident did not have a direct impact on train traffic. Investigators do not rule out that the perpetrators of the damage could have received burns or injuries.

This is not the first such incident in recent times, Deutsche Welle notes❶. The day before, cable damage was also recorded in the Aachen region and the Heinsberg district in North Rhine-Westphalia. This led to the temporary suspension of rail traffic between Heinsberg and Geilenkirchen, as well as disruptions on the Cologne-Dusseldorf line, where trains had to be diverted to a detour.

In addition, in Gerwisch, Saxony-Anhalt, a fire broke out at a postal station. The building was completely destroyed, train traffic between Berlin and Magdeburg was stopped. An investigation is underway, the police are investigating whether the arson was deliberate.

Earlier this week, a major fire at the main office of an energy company in Lehrt (Lower Saxony) led to delays and disruptions in rail traffic. Authorities suggest that the cause of the incident was arson. Similar incidents occurred in August in North Rhine—Westphalia and in December last year in Berlin, where fires destroyed, among other things, 16 trucks and a conveyor belt belonging to concrete manufacturer Tsemex.

The police do not rule out that the whole series of incidents could have been the result of sabotage, and also that there may be "political motives" behind them.

❶An organization performing the functions of a foreign agent