Feuerinferno in Ahrensfelde: Diesel railcars are up in flames!

Feuerinferno in Ahrensfelde: Diesel railcars are up in flames!

Bahnhof Ahrensfelde, 12626 Berlin, Deutschland - A dramatic fire caused excitement at Ahrensfelde station, east of Berlin! On Saturday evening, the diesel railcar VT 643.14 of the Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) should depart to the RB25 regional railway line after Werneuchen, but instead it became the scene of a devastating fire. Suddenly a loud bang sounded, followed by smoke and blazing flames that turned the vehicle into an angry inferno. Fortunately, all passengers and the train staff were able to evacuate unharmed!

cause of fire in the focus: starter battery as a suspect

The fire brigade was on site with a large contingent of 74 emergency services and 21 vehicles to combat the fire, which even spread to the station building. A railroader suspects that the flames may have originated in the starter battery of the railcar. This highly concentrated energy source can have dangerous consequences for malfunctions. The police confirm that the fire brigade had to move out again on Sunday to extinguish a embers in the burned -out train.

The incident throws a bright light on the recurring problems with the talent railcars developed by Bombardier (now Alstom). This is not the first fire of such a train in Berlin-a total of eight talent trains have already burned out in Germany. The NEB sees great challenges due to the vehicle crisis, which is tightened by the number of trains available. The passengers have to adjust to replacement traffic by bus, since the Ahrensfelde North station cannot be approached.

The NEB plans to convert the RB25 line to modern battery-electric railcar of the type Siemens Mireo Plus B in order to counteract the vehicle shortage. This change could come into force in December 2024 if all the necessary permits are available. But the burning questions remain: how safe are the trains and when will the problems finally be solved?