A dangerous intervention in rail traffic caused significant disruptions on Wednesday evening, 19 February 2025, and could have had serious consequences. Unknown perpetrators placed a concrete block on the railway tracks in the village of Toma near Sandersdorf. The Bundespolizeiinspektion Magdeburg (Magdeburg Federal Police Station) is asking for information from the public.

At around 5:26 p.m., Deutsche Bahn (German Railway)’s emergency control centre informed the federal police about an incident on the line between Landsberg and Roitzsch. The driver of a freight train initially reported objects on the track. A little later, the driver of an Intercity Express train travelling from Hamburg to Munich discovered an obstacle on the tracks. Despite emergency braking, he was unable to prevent a collision. Fortunately, there was no damage to the train and no injuries among the passengers.

Officers from the Halle (Saale) Federal Police Station were immediately alerted and rushed to the scene with blue lights and sirens wailing. There, stone debris was found next to the tracks, as well as stone powder on the rail heads. Several passengers reported that they had seen two or three youths running out of the bushes after the train came to a halt and fleeing towards a nearby residential area on bicycles. An immediate manhunt was launched, but was initially unsuccessful.

Due to the closure of the railway line from 5:35 p.m. to 6:33 p.m., there were massive disruptions to rail traffic: 28 trains, including 12 long-distance, 9 local and 7 freight trains, were delayed by a total of 1050 minutes. In addition, 13 trains had to be diverted, 9 connections were cancelled completely, 2 partially.

The federal police have initiated a preliminary investigation due to the dangerous interference with rail traffic and are looking for witnesses.

Increased danger due to railway obstacles – federal police issue urgent warning

The federal police emphasise that railway facilities are not playgrounds. Entering the tracks is extremely dangerous: trains approach almost silently and, depending on the wind direction, they are only noticeable late on. In addition, passing trains create a significant suction effect that can cause serious accidents. Depending on the speed and the conditions on the line, it can take up to 1,000 metres for the train to come to an emergency stop, making it impossible to take evasive action.

Placing obstacles on railway tracks is not a harmless prank, but a serious offence. In the worst case, it can lead to a train derailment with serious or even fatal injuries. Furthermore, such incidents have far-reaching effects on the entire rail network and on many travellers. The Federal Police therefore appeal to all citizens to report any suspicious observations immediately in order to prevent such dangerous incidents in the future.