In late July 2020, a massive power outage brought trains and public transport to a standstill in Germany. Initially, an extreme heat wave was thought to be the cause, yet authorities have now determined sabotage to blame. According to preliminary findings, an unknown criminal acted on behalf of individuals or organisations seeking to cause trouble, or worse, endanger lives.
This incident comes as yet another in a recent string of unrelated and unexplained train outages, raising several questions about security in Germany and the safety of its citizens. In this article, we will review the Germany’s train outage event and its circumstances, as well as look at the security measures in place designed to protect rail lines and passengers from similar incidents in the future.
Heatwave Attributed to Train Outage
On 25th July 2020, a train power outage in Germany prompted local authorities to halt all rail transport in the area, as well as call for electricity blackouts in some parts of the nation. During this, Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s state-owned railway operator, experienced a crippling 45-minute power outage along an area spanning 1,700 kilometres.
At the onset, the cause of the power outage was assumed to be the extreme heat wave hitting the region at the time. Though the heatwave was a significant factor in the power outage’s occurrence, it was not the sole root cause.
Sabotage as the Root Cause
Ultimately, German authorities determined that sabotage was the root cause of the power outage. According to them, an unknown perpetrator is responsible for the act of sabotage against the Deutsche Bahn’s power supply infrastructure.
Though authorities have not released any further details concerning the identity of the perpetrator or their motives, they have confirmed they are actively pursuing a criminal investigation. As Major Andreas Heim of the German Federal Criminal Police office has said: “We have reason to believe that someone is behind this. We are treating the incident as a case of sabotage and are investigating it further.”
Impact of the Sabotage
The 45-minute power outage brought all German railways to a standstill, cancelling or delaying thousands of passenger trains, and disrupting the commutes of many more. The Deutsche Bahn reported that at least 123,000 people were stranded during this time, most of them being tourist travelers. Economically, the incident cost the Deutsche Bahn an estimated €27 million in damages; though such quantification does not take into account the other economic losses or disruptions stemming from the incident.
Security Measures Moving Forward
Bearing in mind the incident and its severity, the German government has announced plans to reinforce security measures around its railways. Moving ahead, GPS tracking devices will be installed on railway lines in an effort to detect potential suspicious activity, while an early-warning system designed to quickly detect unexpected changes in electric current is also being considered.
Additionally, the government has announced plans to move away from using traditional electric grids to power railway systems in favour of setting up their own supply line independent from the public power grid.
On July 25th 2020, a massive power outage occurred in Germany due to sabotage-related activities. The incident caused extensive delays and cancellations for thousands of passengers travelling by train, as well as economic losses for the Deutsche Bahn in the millions.
In response to the incident, the German government has taken steps to reinforce the security of its railway system, such as the installation of GPS tracking devices and the creation of an early-warning system. Ultimately, these measures should help ensure incidents like these are better avoided in the future.
