Berlin-Hamburg train line closed for several days after fire

A burning cable shaft caused by a technical fault has forced the railway line between Berlin and Hamburg to close.
Passengers should expect cancellations and delays, a spokesperson with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said on Sunday, with the line expected to remain closed until Wednesday.
The fire, which broke out on Saturday afternoon on a stretch of track between the Brandenburg towns of Friesack and Paulinenaue, caused the train line's safety system to malfunction.
Fire investigators from the Brandenburg criminal police suspect a technical malfunction was the cause of the fire, a police spokesperson said, though the investigation is not yet complete. There have so far been no indications of arson or an attack, however.
Around 17,000 people use the roughly 60 trains that run between Berlin and Hamburg each day, a railway spokesperson said, adding: "It is a very heavily used route for long-distance traffic."