Burning and driverless diesel locomotive stopped shortly before Salzburg

Even before the fire brigade could start extinguishing the fire, the now unmanned locomotive started moving down the slight incline and rolled towards Freilassing station. By cleverly setting the points, it was possible to divert the ghost locomotive, which was moving ever faster, to a track east of the station.

There the locomotive struck a buffer stop and was slowed down as a result. The train, which weighed several tons, finally came to a standstill 300 meters from the border bridge to Salzburg. Due to the high noise protection walls on both sides of the tracks, the fire brigade was initially only able to reach the scene via a pedestrian staircase and door. After the overhead line was disconnected and grounded, the fire could be fought with a hose line. A turntable ladder was added later, from which the fire-fighting attack was possible over the noise protection wall.

The operation ended around 9:00 a.m. As the Bavarian Red Cross reported in a broadcast, the rapid response of the emergency services and the emergency manager of Deutsche Bahn prevented people from being seriously endangered or buildings along the tracks from being damaged. Nobody was injured during the operation. The cause of the fire in the diesel locomotive and the extent of the damage were not initially clear.

According to the ÖBB, no journeys are expected to be possible until 1 p.m. today due to the fire between Salzburg-liefering and Freilassing. The long-distance trains between Wörgl and Salzburg will be diverted. A rail replacement service was set up for the S-Bahn and regional trains. Travelers heading to Munich can use Deutsche Bahn trains from Freilassing.