Rescue services rely on Unimog U 4000 vehicles along the new ICE high-speed track.

Perfect timing. To coincide with the opening of the new 123-km-long Intercity Express rail track from Erfurt to Leipzig and Halle, the firefighters in Halle and the Saale region were issued with new rescue vehicles.

The Unimog U 4000 vehicles with box body will mainly be used for patient transport, but can also be used as ambulances thanks to the medical technologies they are equipped with. The newly acquired Unimog models will help the rescue services to provide first aid along the railway line if necessary. Thanks to its high ground clearance and torsional flexibility, in an emergency the Unimog can drive along the tracks or manoeuvre safely in difficult terrain.

Longest railway bridge in Europe.

At approximately 6.5 km, the Saale-Elster Viaduct is not only the longest bridge in Germany, it is also the longest railway bridge in Europe. It's peculiarity is the way it forks over a distance of more than 2 km. This is where the rail traffic from Erfurt heading northbound to Halle is directed. Some of the 208 bridge piers are in a river flood plain nature reserve, which makes access difficult for normal rescue vehicles – but it's no problem for the Unimog. With a fording depth of 1.20 m and a 4x4 chassis, the U 4000 is suitable for swiftly rescuing injured persons in this tough terrain, should an emergency arise. Up to six seated patients or four lying down can be transported in this U 4000.

The safety of the new Saale-Elster Viaduct was intensively tested before it was put into operation in December 2015. In the last 12 months alone, more than 1000 test drives were carried out successfully with trains on the new railway viaduct.