Berlin Traffic Lights Fail After Substation Fire

Dozens of traffic lights stopped working across Berlin on the morning of Sept. 7 after a fire at an electrical substation. The Senate transport administration said between 50 and 60 signal systems were affected.

Authorities began switching the lights back on. A spokeswoman said most could be restored remotely, while a small number required manual intervention. All traffic lights were expected to be operating again around midday.

According to dpa information, the outages may be linked to the fire at a substation in Berlin-Mitte. Traffic-light systems can react sensitively to voltage fluctuations in the power grid.

The fire began overnight after an explosion, a spokesman for grid operator 50Hertz said. The spokesman said current indications pointed to a technical defect as the cause, a finding also supported by the police’s initial investigation.

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The traffic lights are now being switched back on, in most cases remotely, while only a few require manual intervention.