Germany's national railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) has urged passengers to avoid all non-essential long-distance and regional travel this weekend as temperatures in parts of the country approach 40 degrees Celsius.
"Germany's transport infrastructure is being heavily affected by the record heat this weekend. Rail transport is also suffering from the extreme temperatures," DB said in an online statement on Saturday, noting that the German Weather Service had also warned of thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.
"Together with other railway operators and industry organizations such as the Federal Association of Local Rail Transport, Deutsche Bahn advises: Please avoid all non-essential long-distance and regional journeys today and tomorrow," the state-owned company said.
Regional rail operator National Express Germany announced that it would suspend services on five lines in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia for six hours on Saturday afternoon because of the heat.
Meanwhile, a fire on a railway embankment near Stuttgart's main station temporarily halted rail traffic on Saturday. The closure affected local, regional and long-distance services, according to Deutsche Bahn.
DB had already announced on Thursday that passengers holding long-distance tickets purchased before June 23 could cancel journeys scheduled through June 30 free of charge.
Deutsche Bahn said it does not currently plan to halt operations.
