Despite Leipzig’s heatwave heroes: trams will only be running at a snail’s pace on the tracks tomorrow

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This record-breaking heat is too much even for Leipzig’s tram service, which is no stranger to strikes. The ‘Bimmel’ – as the tram is affectionately known because of its old departure signals – will have to remain in the depots on Monday as well. According to the latest information from the LVB, the planned start at 3.30 am on Monday cannot be achieved.

Since Saturday, travelling by tram has been nothing more than a feverish dream, rather than reality. According to the LVB, the exceptional heat caused the so-called joint sealant to soften. This is a bitumen-based sealing material between the asphalt and the rails that prevents dirt from penetrating. Under extreme heat and the additional strain caused by train operations, this material can lose its strength, become soft and sticky, and shift position. In Leipzig, the softened compound found its way into the rails and points in many places, where it clumped together. And the trams that ran into this firmly adhering substance became a problem in their own right, alongside the track infrastructure itself. Because safe operation of the tram network could no longer be guaranteed due to these blockages, Leipzig’s public transport authority pressed the emergency stop button – bringing all trams to a standstill.

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What followed can easily be classified as a Leipzig heroic tale. Even if it did not lead to the hoped-for goal of resuming regular services by early Monday morning. Everyone available, including countless staff called in on an ad hoc basis, checked the entire track bed for damage and have been cleaning and repairing it ever since. All this under the blazing sun and as quickly as possible. Out on the tracks, they stand as solid as steel in the weekend’s scorching heat. Work continues through the night. In the depots, they are freeing carriage after carriage, centimetre by centimetre, from the devilish adhesive in the undercarriage.

Despite the ongoing disruption, Leipzig says THANK YOU for this tremendous effort. Katja Gläß, spokesperson on duty for the Leipzig Group (to which the LVB belongs), expressed her delight in an interview with the LZ at the recognition their heroes are receiving on social media: “Such encouragement and respect is hardly common on these platforms these days.” For example, one user writes on Facebook: “Kudos to the men and women who are now ensuring that the trams are running again and the tracks are being repaired. Three cheers for craftsmanship!” An elderly lady from Leipzig notes: “My special THANKS therefore go to those who are trying to repair the damage as best they can in these temperatures.”

Instead of a general shutdown, services are to be reopened in stages, which also poses a logistical challenge in terms of preparation. The transport authorities will announce which sections can be reopened and when in the course of Monday. LZ will keep you updated! Information on possible connections is also available on the LVB website or via the LeipzigMove mobile app.