Digital communication outage halts Germany’s rail network

BERLIN — A failure in Germany’s digital communication system brought train services across the country to a standstill, according to Deutsche Bahn. The rail operator said regional and commuter trains were unable to operate, while German media reported that the disruption paralyzed evening rail traffic on Tuesday. Bild newspaper reported that the outage may have been caused by the replacement of a component in the wireless system. Crowds built up at Gelsenkirchen and Kiel stations, where events had drawn large numbers of travelers. A Deutsche Bahn spokesman said operations resumed gradually during the night. The company’s regional division, Deutsche Bahn Regio Mitte, and the Berlin S-Bahn confirmed that services had restarted but warned that significant delays and sudden cancellations could continue into the morning.