Two trams collided head-on at a busy intersection in downtown Düsseldorf on Saturday morning, injuring dozens of people in what appeared to be a dramatic crash that left both vehicles derailed and heavily damaged.
The accident occurred around 11:30 a.m. at the junction of Berliner Allee and Graf-Adolf-Straße, a major crossroads in the city center. The two trams, both reportedly operating on Line 709, slammed into each other frontally in the middle of the intersection. One tram had been turning left while the other was traveling straight ahead when they collided.
The impact was severe enough to throw both vehicles off the tracks. Windows shattered and seats were torn loose inside the carriages.
Despite the force of the crash, no one was left in a life-threatening condition, police confirmed. Emergency services treated a total of 56 people at the scene. Of those, 28 were transported to hospitals for further care, including five with more serious injuries.
Another 28 passengers were treated on site but did not require hospital admission. Rheinbahn, the city's transit operator, brought a large bus to the scene so that affected passengers could be looked after and sheltered from the sun.
No technical rescue operation was needed, according to fire department officials, passengers were largely able to free themselves from the damaged vehicles. Emergency crews spent roughly two hours at the scene before wrapping up their response.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Police cordoned off the area and interviewed witnesses. One key question is whether a misaligned track switch may have been to blame, as one of the trams was found to be on the wrong set of tracks.
The question carries extra weight given that Rheinbahn has dealt with multiple derailment incidents already this year.
The crash caused significant disruption to both tram and road traffic across the city center, with several lines rerouted or curtailed. Transit authorities urged passengers to use underground U-Bahn lines in the city center, which were unaffected. Rheinbahn deployed specialized equipment to lift the derailed trams back onto the tracks.
The timing compounded the disruption: Saturday was Düsseldorf's annual Japan Day festival, with hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in the city, and transit services were already under heavy demand. The full extent of the material damage has not yet been determined.
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