Large-scale police operation in Lucerne railway station

Nothing much was running at Lucerne railway station on Tuesday morning, 21 December. Following a report of explosives, there was a large contingent of police at the station, and the whole station was closed for several hours. Pictures point to an incident with an ATM, and passengers to/from Lucerne must expect delays and some train cancellations.

The first information was provided by the Lucerne police at 6 a.m., and stated that the operation had commenced around 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Various emergency forces – police, transport police, fire brigade, etc., were on site. It is still unclear whether the incident involved explosives or a gas, as PilatusToday  reports. An automatic fire system triggered an alarm during the night, and the Lucerne police also received a tip from the transport police, Christian Bertschi, media spokesman for the Lucerne police, told PilatusToday.

"Explosives specialists are working together with colleagues from the Forensic Institute Zurich to clarify what kind of substance is involved," he continued.

The incident is said to have taken place near the platforms. Images suggest that there has been an incident with an ATM of Bank Cler near one of the platforms, although this has not yet been confirmed by the police.

New images suggest that there has been an incident with an ATM of Bank Cler near a platform.
Photo: BRK News

Replacement buses were organised early in the morning for the cancelled trains, and the first tracks were reopened at 6.45 a.m. The total closure of the station was largely lifted by around 7 a.m., although the area around tracks 14 and 15 was still closed off at that time. The SBB tweeted shortly before 8 a.m. that the disruption at Lucerne railway station had been rectified. However, passengers would still have to reckon with delays or some train cancellations:

The Lucerne police will provide more information in the course of the morning.