In the first thirty minutes after an accident on one of the 40,000 kilometers of the German railway network, an expert from the Federal Office for the Investigation of Railway Accidents (Bundestelle fur Eisenbahnunfalluntersuchung) gets into his car and leaves for the scene. The 22 experts who serve in the country’s longest-standing independent body in the field of railways are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We have been working with our current organizational and legal form since 2017,” explains Moritz Metzler, a representative of the mentioned office. “We have five offices in different states.” The German railways, as well as the infrastructure provider, are obliged to report all technical problems and accidents to this office on a daily basis.

“Eight events are recorded per day (including double simultaneous registration by two agencies),” he notes. This number is not as high as it seems, since the railway in Germany is very developed, and the train is the most popular mode of transport. The reports mainly describe train collisions, wagon derailments, accidents at railway crossings where the “stop” is not respected, fires in trains and, of course, passenger injuries. In 2021, according to the official report of the organization, 1385 accidents and 914 malfunctions were registered. In the year under review, which, however, cannot be considered indicative, since traffic restrictions were still in place due to the pandemic, the most frequent offense on the part of the railways was to let a train pass at a “stop”.

“Most accidents are caused by a combination of technical problems and human error,” Metzler comments. The report, which the team must provide within a year, often includes recommendations on security and functionality issues.

“Most accidents are caused by a combination of technical problems and human error.”

“We submit our proposals to two independent experts representing the state, who evaluate them and pass them on to the interested departments.” For the most part, what is proposed is listened to.

In 2016, two trains collided between Bad Aibling and Kolbermoor, killing twelve people and injuring another 89. This is a remote point in Bavaria, where there is a single railway line. It is no coincidence that in 1945 there was another railway accident with five victims. The experts made a number of recommendations, such as combining the “Emergency Call” and “Emergency Route” commands into one button, changing the rules and applications to increase their functionality, and training employees with an emphasis on simulation exercises, using new technologies, but also dealing with distraction. The guidelines have been largely applied for 6 years, as detailed in the official report. “Our goal is not to punish or imprison those who bear part of the responsibility for the accident, but to improve the railway network and, accordingly, the safety of passengers,” he explains. The method described above for investigating railway accidents is not a German “patent”. “Our organization was founded in 2017 to implement the relevant European directive (2016/798),” notes Mr. Metzler, “I assume that in Greece you should also follow similar procedures.”

“It is possible that such an accident will also happen here in Germany,” comments Carl Peter Naumann on behalf of the Pro Bahn Railway Passenger Association, which was founded in Wuppertal in 1981 and currently has more than 4,000 individual members. to “K”. “The greatest danger is noted in sections of the network that have only one rail,” he describes, “mostly located in rural areas.” For the orderly movement of trains in these places, high speeds are prohibited and the start is preceded by an appropriate signaling, while an automatic “braking” system operates. In addition, all trains moving faster than 120 km/h are constantly monitored throughout the network, while slower ones are monitored at certain points on their route. “It happens, however, that sometimes the above security systems are deactivated,” he adds.

The deadliest accident in modern German history, and the most serious in the high-speed train category, occurred in June 1998 near Hannover. A wagon wheel problem sets off a chain reaction throughout the train, causing the train to derail and crash into a junction in Esente. Other cars are thrown into the neighboring thicket, others crash into the bridge or collide with each other. As the fatal ICE was traveling at 200 km/h, its derailment killed 101 people and injured 105. For three days and nights, 2,000 rescuers searched the wreckage for any sign of life…in Hamburg, “it took the German railways 15 years to formally apologize to the families of the victims.”

Numbers

1385 German railways report 914 accidents and malfunctions in 2021 in a year of travel restrictions
because of the pandemic.

12 people were killed and 89 injured in 2016 in an accident between Bad Aibling and Kolbermoor in Bavaria. This is a remote point that has a single railway line.

101 of the dead is the deadliest train accident in modern German history in June 1998 near Hannover.

40 000 kilometers is the total length of the German railway network. 22 experts are involved in the investigation.
accidents.