Anyone who wanted to drive to Sylt on Monday or leave the island needed patience: because several wagons of a car train derailed in the early morning in the North Frisian town of Niebüll, the car trains initially failed. No one was injured, a police spokesman said.

According to initial findings, the accident happened while maneuvering. It was not initially clear when the car trains would be able to run again. The cause of the accident is still unclear. A switch may have frozen.

According to information on their website, both the car trains of Deutsche Bahn and the private provider RDC were affected. Regional and long-distance traffic to Sylt, on the other hand, is running according to plan, said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn. However, passenger traffic to Tondern in Denmark was affected. A rail replacement service has been set up, as the operator of the route, Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Niebüll GmbH (neg), announces on its website.

In the morning, a so-called auxiliary train from Neumünster arrived in Niebüll, which is supposed to put the wagons back on the rails, said the federal police spokesman. It must then be determined whether the wagons are still roadworthy and can leave the area. A technician then has to check whether the tracks may have been damaged. Only then can the route be released again, according to the information.