Infrastructure: Attacks on railway lines: Union demands consequences

The Union has called on the federal government to act after the alleged attacks on the railway infrastructure. Union parliamentary group vice-president Ulrich Lange (CSU) said that the arson attack on the railway line from Hamburg to Berlin showed that transport, as a critical infrastructure, is much more vulnerable than expected.

“What’s worrying is that we’re seeing such attacks more and more often. Luckily, we’ve escaped with a black eye so far because no one was harmed. But one thing is clear: we need quick and targeted measures before something worse happens.” The traffic light government must act quickly. Lange first commented on the editorial network in Germany.

Cable ducts set on fire

According to the police, cable shafts on railway lines were set on fire in three places in the Hamburg city area on Friday night. Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance traffic between Hamburg and Berlin was severely affected. A letter of responsibility appeared on the left-wing platform Indymedia. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had assured that the perpetrators would be identified and that railway lines would be better protected.

For a long time, the federal government asked in a parliamentary question to what extent, according to the federal government’s knowledge, there were disruptions in train traffic in 2022 and 2023 as a result of damaged fiber optic cables.

The Ministry of Transport replied that, according to information from Deutsche Bahn AG, it currently does not have a separate overview of damage specifically to fiber optic cables. Accordingly, the Federal Government does not have any information relevant to the question. Lange called this a “joke.” The Ministry of Transport must take action to launch a well-thought-out and effective concept for protecting the transport infrastructure.