A pre-dawn fire on a cable bridge over Berlin’s Teltow Canal damaged several high-voltage lines and plunged swathes of the capital’s south-west into darkness on 3 January. Grid operator Stromnetz Berlin warns that up to 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses could remain without electricity until at least 8 January while new cables are installed.
Police have opened an arson investigation and deployed 160 officers to guard the scene. The outage affects Steglitz-Zehlendorf and parts of Tempelhof, including key arterial roads and several S-Bahn stations whose ticket machines and information boards are offline. While trains continue to run, passengers face sparse lighting, disabled lifts and patchy mobile coverage—problems of particular concern to travellers with limited German or accessibility needs.
Local hotels report a spike in last-minute bookings as residents seek heated accommodation during a forecast cold snap of –10 °C. Corporate-travel managers with staff in Berlin are advising employees to carry cash, external power banks and printed itineraries in case of further communications failures.
![Suspected arson knocks out power to 45,000 Berlin households, disrupts business travel]()
For foreign nationals caught up in the blackout, practical issues such as expiring visas, lost passports or sudden reroutings can quickly become urgent. VisaHQ’s online service (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers a streamlined way to secure emergency visa extensions, schedule embassy appointments and check the latest entry requirements—crucial help when local internet and phone networks are unreliable.
The incident highlights vulnerabilities in Germany’s critical infrastructure after similar sabotage of rail signal cables in 2024. Security consultants recommend that multinationals update duty-of-care protocols, including real-time location tracking and alternative meeting venues equipped with generators.
Logistics providers operating out of the nearby Großbeeren freight terminal are bracing for delayed loading as warehouse scanners and IT systems rely on backup generators. Companies with tight supply-chain windows into Central Europe may need to reroute via Leipzig or Hanover hubs until full power is restored.
Police have opened an arson investigation and deployed 160 officers to guard the scene. The outage affects Steglitz-Zehlendorf and parts of Tempelhof, including key arterial roads and several S-Bahn stations whose ticket machines and information boards are offline. While trains continue to run, passengers face sparse lighting, disabled lifts and patchy mobile coverage—problems of particular concern to travellers with limited German or accessibility needs.
Local hotels report a spike in last-minute bookings as residents seek heated accommodation during a forecast cold snap of –10 °C. Corporate-travel managers with staff in Berlin are advising employees to carry cash, external power banks and printed itineraries in case of further communications failures.
For foreign nationals caught up in the blackout, practical issues such as expiring visas, lost passports or sudden reroutings can quickly become urgent. VisaHQ’s online service (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers a streamlined way to secure emergency visa extensions, schedule embassy appointments and check the latest entry requirements—crucial help when local internet and phone networks are unreliable.
The incident highlights vulnerabilities in Germany’s critical infrastructure after similar sabotage of rail signal cables in 2024. Security consultants recommend that multinationals update duty-of-care protocols, including real-time location tracking and alternative meeting venues equipped with generators.
Logistics providers operating out of the nearby Großbeeren freight terminal are bracing for delayed loading as warehouse scanners and IT systems rely on backup generators. Companies with tight supply-chain windows into Central Europe may need to reroute via Leipzig or Hanover hubs until full power is restored.
