Overview
- A Dutch inland cargo ship struck the railway bridge at Elsfleth on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, tearing off much of its wheelhouse while both crew members escaped unharmed.
- The vessel secured itself to a dalben and the Verkehrszentrale Bremen issued a Weiterfahrverbot for the shipmaster while the Wasserschutzpolizei opened an investigation into the cause.
- Deutsche Bahn's emergency team inspected the provisional non-opening replacement bridge and temporarily closed the rail line, with RS4 services reporting haltausfälle and replacement buses before tracks reopened that evening.
- Reports differ on whether river traffic was broadly suspended, but authorities and local rescue teams worked on site to secure wreckage and check the bridge for structural damage.
- The incident renews focus on a history of collisions at the Hunte crossing and on Deutsche Bahn's planned higher, wider hub-drehbrücke replacement expected in winter 2027/2028 to reduce future impact risks.