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Frankfurt’s S-Bahn chaos as faulty switch halts key commuter lines

One broken switch brought Frankfurt to a standstill. Discover how ageing infrastructure left thousands stranded—and why fixes took hours.

As we can see in the image there is train, railway track, cars, current poles, trees and sky.
As we can see in the image there is train, railway track, cars, current poles, trees and sky.

S-Bahn traffic resumes after switch repair - Frankfurt’s S-Bahn chaos as faulty switch halts key commuter lines

Frankfurt’s S-Bahn network faced major delays after a faulty switch disrupted key routes. The problem emerged between Messe and Galluswarte stations, forcing the suspension of multiple lines. Services returned to normal only after overnight repairs were completed.

The issue began when a critical switch failed, halting trains on lines S3, S4, S5, and S6. Engineers found the component completely jammed, requiring a custom-made replacement. Wear and tear was blamed for the malfunction, which affected tens of thousands of daily commuters.

Normal operations resumed after the switch was repaired. The incident highlighted the impact of ageing infrastructure on Frankfurt’s transport network. No further disruptions have been reported since the fix was completed.

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