Train traffic on one of the key railway lines in Bratislava was stopped for almost two hours on Wednesday, July 15. The reason for the large delays and canceled trips was not a technical malfunction, but a common grass snake, which caused a short circuit on the high-voltage line.
The incident happened on a busy section between Bratislava Main Station and the Rača district. As reported by the Railways of the Slovak Republic (ŽSR), the reptile climbed onto the contact network pole near the so-called "blue bridge." There, the snake simultaneously touched the grounded metal structure of the bridge and the contact wire, which is under a voltage of 25,000 volts. Its body became a conductor, causing a powerful electric discharge that burned through the cable.
As a result, train traffic on the section was completely stopped from 9:15 AM to 11:00 AM. The situation was made more difficult by the fact that planned repair work was being carried out on the neighboring track at that time, so it was impossible to reroute trains. Six trains had to be canceled due to the incident, including two express trains, two fast trains, and two passenger trains. Dozens of other long-distance and regional trains ran with significant delays.
Eleven electricians and two specialized wagons were involved in eliminating the consequences. Repair workers had to replace 240 meters of damaged bronze contact wire. Full traffic without restrictions was only restored after 5:00 PM.
ŽSR noted that animal contact with railway infrastructure is not uncommon. In the first half of 2026 alone, 576 collisions between trains and wild animals were recorded, including not only deer and wild boars, but even two kangaroos that had escaped from a circus.
