News Wire: Key German rail line to be closed for a week after fire

[Brian Schmidt]

FRANKFURT, Germany — A main artery in Germany’s high speed rail system is expected to be closed all week following a fire which caused major damage to a trainset. National railway operator Deutsche Bahn began clearing parts of the badly d...

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/10/15-key-german-rail-line-to-be-closed-for-a-week-after-fire

[Anonymous]

In the News Wire is stated that the car where the fire started was already emptied because of a mechenical problem. Do you have a source you can share? I haven't found such a statement in the German media.

The train was checked the day before for an air-conditioner problem in a different car.

The fire started in the second to last car. The ICE-3 is an EMU with 16 drive axles.
Here is a picture:

https://www.hochgeschwindigkeitszuege.com/deutschland/ice-3.php

The first and third car from each end are powered by 2 trucks and 4 axles each. The cars contain the power converters. The car in-between (where the fire started) carries pantograph and transformer and is not powered. The two cars between these two powered groups carry batteries and chargers.

All electrical equipment without pantograph and connecting line between them is mounted beneath the floor.

According to our Federal Police the fire was started by a technical defect. Which kind is still investigated. Possible candidates are axles or the transformer. I think its 400 gal. cooling oil have fueled the fire.

The track will stay closed at least until the end of this week. There is heavy damage to track, catenary, signal system, and control system:

https://www.drehscheibe-online.de/foren/file.php?004,file=216472

Doesn't look too bad at first glance but it is a slab (unballasted) track which needs more time to repair than sleeper track.

The ICE-3 are designed to a specified fire protection standard. The vehicle must be able to roll for minimum 15 minutes under fully developed fire. The floor and seperating walls need to withstand fire for 30 minutes.
Regards, Volker

[Anonymous]

Today Deutsche Bahn (German Railway) announced that normal traffic will resume on track next Saturday. About two thirds of the daily trains can be run.

My educated guess is, the slab track is the reason why takes so long to get the second track repaired.

On the high-speed line Cologne to Frankfurt four different systems were used. All have in common that prefabricated bi-block sleepers are vibrated into a in-situ concrete bearing plate:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Josef_Vican/publication/280876134/figure/fig1/AS:284600581541895@1444865474277/Slab-track-system-Rheda-2000-5.png

The two yellow blocks connected by a lattice girde are the bi-block sleeper.

The in-situ concrete needs a setting time which I can't determine without knowing the concrete (C30/37) recipe. But will be weeks not days.
Regards, Volker