A recent fire at a cable shaft near the Wuhlheide S-Bahn station in the Treptow-Köpenick district of Berlin has led to significant disruptions in the regional rail network, affecting commuters and travelers. According to media reports, the suspected saboteurs claimed responsibility on a left-wing platform, stating that their actions targeted the “thousands of Tesla workers” who are daily transported from the capital to the Grünheide site.
The Berlin Police announced that a first report of a disturbance on the rail track near the Wuhlheide S-Bahn station was received by the Deutsche Bahn’s control center on Wednesday morning at 4 a.m. A statement, presented to the regional broadcaster RBB, claimed that the sabotage was directed against the Deutsche Bahn and the Tesla company.
In the vicinity of the fire site, further damage was found on several radio and transmission masts, disrupting the regulation of several long-distance and regional train lines. According to an RBB article, the affected S-Bahn lines included the RE2, RE7, RB21 and RB2, as well as the DB rail traffic to Frankfurt (Oder). The statement, as reported by the Berliner Zeitung, read: “We have today morning interrupted the rail track, over which thousands of Tesla workers are daily transported from the capital to Grünheide, as well as goods transport with oil and gas from east to west and set a transmission mast on fire near the cable shaft.”
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister, Katrin Lange (SPD), has strongly condemned the “violent extremist left-wing attack.” In a media statement, Lange said: “It’s not the first time that Tesla and the Deutsche Bahn are allegedly targeted by violent extremist left-wingers. The latest attack shows: the left-wing extremism in Germany remains a significant challenge for law enforcement and society.”
Based on the statement on the Indymedia platform, the state’s protection of the Berlin State Criminal Police has taken over the investigation into politically motivated crimes. According to the pamphlet, the recent action is also a reaction to the clearance of a protest camp against the expansion of the Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide a few weeks ago.
In March of the previous year, a self-proclaimed “Vulkangruppe” classified as a left-wing extremist group by investigators, claimed responsibility for an “attack on the power supply” near the Tesla factory in Berlin, citing the US automaker as the target (RT DE reported).
The disruptions in the passenger and rail traffic are expected to continue at least until Friday evening.