Ghost tram line 66 Driver gets psychological support
Bonn · After the ghost ride of the tram line 66 between Siegburg and Bonn, the driver of the tram is receiving psychological support. The 47-year-old had suffered a medical emergency and fainted behind the wheel.
Barely a week after the ghost ride of tram line 66 through Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district, the investigations by the district government have not yet been completed. "The railway car is still standing at the SWB depot in Dransdorf," said Stadtwerke spokeswoman Veronika John. The 47-year-old driver of the train, who had suffered a medical emergency and fainted, has meanwhile left the hospital. "But he is on sick leave and is receiving psychological care." The offer had been made to him by the municipal utilities, just as is usual in the case of incidents such as suicides.
According to John, there are no details yet on how the ghost ride could have happened. The train had passed a total of eight stops during the night from Sunday without a driver. Only 200 metres before the Adelheidisstraße stop in Beuel, the train came to a halt thanks to the courageous efforts of two passengers who broke into the driver's cab. As if by a miracle, nobody was injured.
Meanwhile, rail operations, including those of line 66, continue as usual. Bonn's Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan, City Director Wolfgang Fuchs and SWB Bus and Railway Managing Directors Anja Wenmakers and Hansjörg Spielhoff visited the driver on Christmas Eve. "The local public transport service particularly requires the commitment and high level of commitment of the qualified drivers," said Sridharan.
(Original text: Nicolas Ottersbach/Translation: Mareike Graepel)
