Following the severe heat-related damage, all trams in Leipzig are set to resume service starting this Thursday. After eleven extraordinary days, normal service will resume, announced Ulf Middelberg, managing director of Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB).
The previous weekend, tram service in Saxony’s largest city had been completely suspended. According to the LVB, extreme heat with temperatures around 40 degrees had softened the joint compound in many places along the tracks. The trams had pushed this material out and spread it across the tracks and switches with their wheels—forming a layer up to five millimeters thick. The material hardened again, causing the rails to stick together and also damaging the vehicles.
Middelberg emphasized that 30 kilometers of contaminated tracks had been cleaned and 150 switches repaired. “This was an enormous feat, accomplished through the joint efforts of approximately 1,500 employees from LVB and the Leipzig Group, as well as 550 volunteers. We greatly appreciate their dedication and extend our heartfelt thanks.” To determine the exact cause, the LVB has commissioned an expert report from TÜV Süd Rail.
