Frankfurt’s City Tunnel chaos after S-Bahn fire strands 100 passengers

A sudden short circuit sparked panic and delays for Frankfurt commuters. Now investigators are probing what went wrong—and when full service will resume.

, and Administrator

2026 January 12 . 11:32 AM

1 min read

The image shows a map of a city with a route of a train from Munich to Frankfurt highlighted. The... — The image shows a map of a city with a route of a train from Munich to Frankfurt highlighted. The map is detailed and shows the various stops along the route, as well as the surrounding area. The text on the map provides additional information about the train, such as its length, distance, and other points of interest.

Frankfurt’s City Tunnel chaos after S-Bahn fire strands 100 passengers

A technical fault on an S-Bahn train caused major disruptions in Frankfurt’s City Tunnel on Tuesday. Around 100 passengers were evacuated after a power failure and small fire broke out. The incident led to temporary suspensions of rail services in the area.

The trouble began when a defect in the train’s power collector triggered a short circuit. This caused damage to the overhead line and sparked a fire, forcing the train to stop between Taunusanlage and Hauptwache stations. Firefighters assisted as passengers were guided through the tunnel, walking roughly 200 metres to reach Hauptwache.

Deutsche Bahn halted all traffic in the tunnel while crews assessed the damage. Repairs started on Tuesday evening, but services remained limited. By the afternoon, a single track reopened, though delays and cancellations continued to affect travellers.

The incident disrupted journeys for hundreds of commuters in Frankfurt. Rail operators are still working to fully restore normal service. The exact cause of the power collector failure remains under investigation.