Traffic on the railway line between Hamburg and Bremen was temporarily suspended on Monday due to damage to an overhead line and an embankment fire, officials said.
Traffic on the line resumed on Monday evening, but further delays were expected, rail operator Metronom said.
Trains can pass through the affected section of the line on the remaining tracks at reduced speed, but one track remains closed.
The three-hour closure will continue to cause delays. Some trains will be cancelled and not all trains will stop at all regular stops.
The problems were caused by an overhead line that was damaged near Buchholz in der Nordheide, some 30 kilometres south of Hamburg.
The driver of a Metronom train noticed the damage and triggered an emergency stop, a spokesman for the commercial rail operator explained.
Smoke was also detected coming from the locomotive, presumably caused by the damaged overhead line. The train was evacuated.
Around 500-600 passengers were affected.
At the same time, an embankment fire broke out, which the fire brigade is tackling. According to the spokesman, it is still unclear exactly how the damage to the overhead line, the smoke on the train and the fire are linked.
