Traffic restrictions Train tracks blocked at Loreley after rock slide
St. Goarshausen · Europe's busiest goods train line had to be closed in Rhineland-Palatinate near the world-famous Loreley Rock. The B42 trunk road was also closed between St. Goarshausen and Kamp-Bornhofen. The reason is a rock slide.
Due to a rock slide, Europe's busiest goods train line was blocked in the Middle Rhine Valley not far from the world-famous Loreley Rock on Monday morning. The parallel B42 trunk road, heavily polluted by "a cloud of dust and fine debris", was also closed to motor traffic near Kestert, police said.
"Due to still continuing erosion, larger rock slabs and debris are currently still sliding, so that the B 42, including the cycle path and towpath, must remain closed for an indefinite period," it added. "Pedestrians, cyclists as well as motor traffic should avoid the area - there is danger to life." A police spokeswoman in St Goarshausen said there were no casualties: "Fortunately, no vehicle or train was hit.“
The exact cause of the rock slide with dark slate rock was unclear for the time being. A Koblenz police spokesman asked, "But what else could it be but the recent rain?" State and federal police, fire brigade, road maintenance department and railway emergency manager all made their way to the large pile of boulders on the tracks on the right bank of the Rhine at midday.
According to Deutsche Bahn, these are part of Europe's busiest goods train route between Genoa and Rotterdam. But trains with passengers also run here. A bus replacement service has been set up for them, according to the private railway company VIAS.
Also according to the police, the buses and car traffic on the B42 were diverted over a wide area. In the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a World Heritage Site with many steep slopes, landslides have often occurred.
Original text: dpa. Translation: Mareike Graepel
