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Heat trap on the train: 48 travelers trapped for hours in Lower Saxony!
On July 2nd, 2025, 48 Nordwestbahn passengers were trapped on a train for hours due to technical defects and heat.
Heat trap on the train: 48 travelers trapped for hours in Lower Saxony!
On Tuesday, July 2nd, 2025, 48 travelers on the Nordwestbahn in Lower Saxony had an unpleasant experience. They had to wait two and a half hours in a broken train on a railway bridge between Berne and Elsfleth. The cause was a technical defect that brought the train to a standstill. The air conditioning only worked to a limited extent, which made for extremely unpleasant conditions in the high summer temperatures. Loud az-online.de Some passengers even called the emergency number themselves after being stuck on the train for several hours.
As a result, both state and federal police as well as nine ambulances and four emergency doctors arrived to help those affected. A makeshift medical station was quickly set up in the parking lot of the Omnipac company in Oldenburg. The Elsfleth fire department was also on duty and provided support with 29 people and drinks to supply the passengers. Unfortunately, three people had to be transported to hospitals due to symptoms of heat exhaustion, while the other travelers were either picked up by relatives or taken home in taxis.
A known problem
The incident is reminiscent of numerous similar events in which rail passengers had to wait for hours on broken down trains. Loud reisereporter.de Deutsche Bahn and emergency management are heavily criticized for their dilapidated rail networks and chaotic processes. The hot summer months are particularly problematic, as thousands of travelers are regularly stuck on trains without functioning air conditioning.
A dramatic example of the difficulties is an incident in June 2023, in which an ICE with 800 travelers broke down on the Saale-Elster bridge and had to be evacuated. The air conditioning failed and the evacuation took over five hours. Such events are not only unacceptable, they also pose a serious threat to the health of passengers. High temperatures and a lack of ventilation can lead to heat-related illnesses.
The reaction of Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn states that there are no set guidelines for the arrival of its emergency management team, which contributes to the uncertainty about travel times. Internal reports sharply criticize this practice. An emergency manager reported that journey times are often more than 40 minutes - and that doesn't create a good impression for travelers who need quick help.
The Ministry of Transport has already announced that it will investigate some of these critical evacuation cases. A rethink seems to be urgently needed to ensure the safety and comfort of travelers and to avoid such incidents in the future. In the meantime, those affected can only hope that in the future they will experience less heat and more cooling when they get on the train.