FRANKFURT. In Bochum, a city located about eighty kilometers north of Cologne, unknown persons cut the fiber optic cable of Deutsche Bahn, the German railways, causing delays, interruptions and various inconveniences for travellers. The signal box was taken out of service, and rail traffic in the Ruhr area was disrupted for several hours pending repairs. All trains between Essen and Dortmund have been diverted and some long-distance trains have also been blocked, as well as the service of the light rail has been reduced. The cable cut last night ensures that switches and signals can be set up from Bochum Central Station’s signal box, which has therefore been unable to operate. The federal police assume that a botched copper theft attempt was behind the cutting of the cables. The investigations are ongoing. Repairing the wires is “extremely expensive,” a Deutsche Bahn spokesman said, adding that several hundred wires have to be reconnected and repairs take a long time.
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