Germany's Deutsche Bahn says train inspections will cause service cutbacks

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG said Friday it had cut services to send 61 of its new ICE-3 trains back to the factory for repeat safety checks.

Taking the high-speed trains out of service will oblige the company to cancel 90 train connections and make other service cutbacks, said Karl-Friedrich Rausch, chairman of Deutsche Bahn's board.

The repeat inspections were announced after a defective axle caused one of the new trains to derail on Wednesday at Cologne's main train station. None of the 250 passengers aboard the train were injured. The 61 trains represent almost the entire new fleet _ six more ICE 3 trains were inspected onsite and returned immediately to service.