Severe thunderstorms inflict potential harm on Munich's central infrastructure
Munich, Germany, experienced a severe weather event from Friday night to Saturday morning, with heavy thunder and lightning. The city's U-Bahn network and the railway line to Mittenwald were heavily affected by the weather conditions.
On Saturday, a lightning strike near Kaltenbrunn on the railway line between Munich and Mittenwald caused significant delays throughout the day. Meanwhile, in the U-Bahn network, escalators were affected, leading to a disruption in services. The entire U-Bahn network had escalators that were completely out of order due to the lightning strike in the power supply, as announced by the Munich transit authority (MVG).
The MVG is working to fix the disruption as quickly as possible. According to Wolfgang Schulz, head of Aldis, the company that took over the former Siemens lightning information service about two years ago, Saturday was one of the most lightning-prone nights. Aldis recorded 5700 lightning strikes in Bavaria throughout July, with 4400 strikes recorded on Saturday alone.
The cause of the escalator failure in the U-Bahn network after the heavy lightning storm in July 2022 remains unclear, as search results do not contain relevant information about the technical causes. However, general knowledge suggests that heavy lightning storms can cause escalator failures in underground transit systems through power surges, electrical system damage, or damage to control circuitry. Such storms can lead to voltage spikes or short circuits that disrupt the escalator's electrical components, leading to malfunctions or shutdowns. Additionally, water ingress or lightning-induced electromagnetic interference could contribute to escalator breakdowns.
Wolfgang Schulz suspects that the failure of the central control system, not the strength of the lightning, caused the escalator failures in the U-Bahn network. Highly sensitive electronics are equipped with special protective devices, but a malfunction in these devices could have caused the escalator failures.
The average strength of positive lightning, according to an expert, is 30,000 amperes. The strongest lightning strike, according to records, occurred at 4.26 am in Gauting, with a strength of 100,000 amperes. A roof fire occurred in Unterhaching due to a lightning strike, and another incident resulted in a fire near Kaltenbrunn, though the extent of the damage is not yet clear.
The MVG has not yet released any official reports or technical investigations regarding the specific cause of the escalator failures in the U-Bahn network after the heavy lightning storm in July 2022. For detailed and confirmed causes, it would be necessary to consult such reports or investigations.
Munich's U-Bahn network has 772 escalators and 176 elevators. The escalators in the U-Bahn network were running again at 13.18. Despite the disruption, the MVG is committed to ensuring the safety and reliability of their services, and they are working diligently to restore full functionality to the U-Bahn network as soon as possible.
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