BERLIN — German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn says sabotage shut down its rail network in northern Germany for several hours Saturday, broadcaster DW reports.
Investigators said communications cables were cut at one location near Berlin and another in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, leading Interior Minister Mancy Faester to say that officials “have to assume intentional acts” were responsible for the disruptions, while Transport Minister Volker Wissing said, “It is clear that this was a targeted and malicious action.”
No information has been released on potential suspects.
Deutsche Bahn initially reported a “technical fault” had led to failure of its digital train radio system, leading to the halt in service.
Reuters reports the communications system went down at about 6:40 a.m., with DB reporting it had been restored at 11:06 a.m., but cautioning that some train cancellations and delays would continue.
The incident caused concerns in the wake of recent damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which also has been called sabotage. NATO and the European Union have warned of a need to protect crucial infrastructure, Reuters reported.
Russian gauge is nominally 5′ 0″ (1524 mm) but the Soviets pulled it in to 1520 mm. The Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania) are Russian gauge as is Finland. Most of now independent states from the former Soviet Union are Russian gauge.
Converting Ukraine to Standard 4′ 8 1/2″(1435 mm) gauge would be feasible, especially if the Russians destroy the track so it would need rebuilt anyway.
Running European cars in Ukraine would be possible. Coupling would require a transition car with European couplings at one end and Ukranian couplers at the other. European cars would be excluded from some sharp turnouts because of the buffers.
Running the larger Ukranian cars on European Railways could be difficult account clearance problems.
Ukraine and Finland would best convert their railway lines to standard gauge to put Russia at a greater disadvantage. Russia becomes a “black sheep” in railway gauges.
Expect more of this as Russia seeks to punish those helping Ukraine.
Probably Russia, they’re getting desperate…and their railway lines aren’t even compatible with the rest of Europe.