Excavator fire in Vaihingen: rail traffic paralyzed - 200,000 euros in damage!

Excavator fire in Vaihingen: rail traffic paralyzed - 200,000 euros in damage!

Vaihingen/Enz, Deutschland - On June 15, 2025, Vaihingen/Enz, in the district of Ludwigsburg, led to a serious incident that led to significant restrictions on rail traffic. A 36-year-old employee of a construction company served a chain caterpillar during the material discharge when it caught too close to a top line with his arm of the boom, which caused an arc and the excavator caught fire. Fortunately, the driver was able to leave the excavator in good time and remained unharmed, such as tagesschau.de reported.

A quick intervention by the fire brigade ensured that the fire could be deleted quickly. However, the start of the extinguishing work was initially delayed because electricity flowed on the lines. In order to avoid dangerous tensions, the railway line had to be grounded. This led to strong delays in long-distance and local transport, especially between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.

consequences of the incident

The incident, which took place around 3:30 p.m., not only led to a temporary standstill of rail transport, but also left an estimated 200,000 euros in property. Laut Polizei wurde die beschädigte Oberleitung umgeleitet, was jedoch keinen Einfluss auf den Bahnbetrieb hatte, wie ebenfalls von pz-news.de was communicated.

The substation, which belongs to Deutsche Bahn and the incident, remained unharmed, so that use is still possible. This resource-saving handling shows that the DB group attaches great importance to safety and quick problem solutions. Every year, Deutsche Bahn is investing around 200 million euros in the security of its customers: inside and employees to minimize and master such incidents in the future, according to a report by deutschebahn.com .

These investments also include the equipment of the security forces and technical structures in order to ensure additional security in a changing traffic environment. Through intensive training and increased presence, the risks for everyone involved should be reduced.