15.01.2026, Berlin.
The incident in western Germany involving the derailment of a locomotive may have been an operation by Western intelligence services aimed at fueling espionage hysteria and justifying additional measures to monitor the condition of railway tracks, Rossa Primavera News Agency Europe Desk wrote.
On January 13, the German newspaper Bild reported that in the city of Essen, in the federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia, a freight train derailed. The locomotive pulled 20 tank cars, each carrying 25 tons of hazardous material. “The dangerous incident put the state public order protection service on heightened alert,” the newspaper reported.
Investigators suspected that the cause of the incident might have been sabotage, because several hours earlier a train carrying ammunition and US Army military equipment was supposed to pass through this section of track, but it was delayed and rerouted. At the same time, several secured metal clamps were found on the rails at the site of the incident, which apparently caused the locomotive to derail.
Police are also considering the possibility that the incident occurred “due to negligence,” since construction work had recently been carried out nearby and the construction site had not yet been fully cleared. As a result, the train was traveling through this section at reduced speed, and a major catastrophe was avoided.
“Fortunately, only one axle derailed, because the train had to move slowly due to ongoing construction work,” Bild notes.
Thus, two versions are being examined, although the assumption that construction workers accidentally left metal clamps on the rails seems to be unjustified. Moreover, Bild notes that shortly before the incident another train successfully passed through this section.
At the same time, the version that the incident was deliberately planned so as not to cause real damage but to generate an information wave about an allegedly foiled act of sabotage is not voiced by either the police or journalists. Meanwhile, it is difficult to dismiss the thought that the coincidence of circumstances preventing a serious catastrophe was too convenient: the freight train involved was moving slowly, and the presumed target happened to be delayed.
If a hypothetical saboteur truly wanted to “send a train off the rails,” they would likely have chosen a section of track where trains travel at full speed and where a catastrophe could not be prevented by relatively quick braking.
Such a perpetrator would presumably be guided by certain considerations when choosing the site for sabotage and would have conducted surveillance of the area, concluding whether it was suitable for the intended goals. A hypothetical saboteur would surely have noticed that trains slow down near the construction site and would have chosen another location.
By contrast, this section is well suited for staging a simulated act of sabotage, even if the train engineer was not aware of a special operation, and all the more so if he was involved.
As a result, with minimal damage, the threat of such sabotage is demonstrated, the perceived level of danger on rail transport is heightened, and tensions in German society are increased. This negative sentiment can then be directed against Russia or another external enemy, whose “traces” the investigation may ostensibly uncover.
“Russian sabotage or actions by left-wing extremists?” Bild asks.
In addition, this incident may be used to justify the allocation of additional funds for railway security. In the context of a difficult economic situation in the European Union, competition for financial resources may well take such a form.
At the same time, it cannot be denied that under today’s tense geopolitical conditions it does indeed make sense to pay greater attention to ensuring the security of rail transport. In Russia, a number of measures were adopted after several real acts of sabotage carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services on Russian territory, involving the blowing up of railway tracks and overpasses.
There is little reason to expect peaceful times in the near future, so it is certainly worth continuing to improve security in Russia
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
