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Suspected arson attack closes train line to Zurich airport

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
Suspected arson attack closes train line to Zurich airport
File photo: Mark Goebel

UPDATE: Train line to Zurich airport still closed at 3pm after a fire 12 hours earlier.

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All trains were cancelled indefinitely between Zurich Oerlikon and Zurich airport on Tuesday morning after a fire on the line that police suspect may have been started deliberately.

Speaking to The Local on Tuesday afternoon, Reto Scharli, spokesman for Swiss federal railways (SBB), said: "Specialists from SBB are working intensively to repair the damage. The line between Zurich and Schaffhausen is open again since midday. The line between Zurich and the airport is still closed.

"Flight passengers are asked to travel to Winterthur, where they can get shuttle-trains to the airport. From Zurich mainstation and Oerlikon trams are available to the airport. If people miss flights, they can contact SBB customer services."

Passengers travelling to the airport should “allow for a longer travelling time” said SBB on announcing the cancellations.  

The fire broke out at around 3am on Tuesday morning in an SBB cable duct near Schärenomoosstrasse in north Zurich.

“According to initial findings Zurich city police believe that the fire was started deliberately,” police said in a statement.

Although the fire was quickly extinguished, it damaged the signal contacts on the line, reported Blick.

 

No trains are running between Oerlikon and the airport, which is the main route for trains coming from Zurich main station.

Intercity and international trains are being rerouted to avoid the line and will not stop at the airport.

Passengers can still use trams 10 and 12 between the airport and city, however services are overloaded due to the volume of people unable to use trains.

Some travellers reported that taxis were taking advantage of the situation by charging higher fares than normal to the airport.

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