No trace of a relaxed journey. The ICE journey from Hamburg to Munich on Saturday was a stress test for hundreds of passengers - including the train evacuation.
Munich – Deutsche Bahn and delays or cancellations, a tiresome but well-known topic. Last but not least, this is well known to travelers since the GDL's many rail strikes in the recent past until an agreement was reached with the group. However, this does not guarantee smooth processes. Things became particularly annoying for hundreds of passengers on Saturday evening (April 13th) on the way from Hamburg to Munich. A reporter from our editorial team happened to be on board the train and describes the full dilemma - evacuation included.
The first half of the journey went smoothly. The ICE started in Hamburg just a few minutes late and was on track for the next stops in Berlin-Spandau, Berlin-Hauptbahnhof and Berlin-Südkreuz. From there it should take a direct route without stopping to Nuremberg, then continue directly to Munich. Scheduled arrival time: 8:02 p.m. After 5:45 p.m. nothing worked anymore and the torture began.
Power supply on the ICE to Munich breaks down - air conditioning broken, toilets broken
The ICE came to an unscheduled stop practically as it exited the seven-kilometer-long Finne Tunnel on the border between Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. This can also happen on busy train routes. However, the incident was far more serious. Due to a technical problem, a connection to the overhead line was no longer possible, the train staff informed the passengers on the ICE, as our reporter remembers.
The problem: Due to the loss of contact with the overhead line, the power supply to the train also stopped. No electricity also means no air conditioning. The railway also confirmed this according to media reports from the dpa. The air became increasingly bad. However, another problem arose on the train. The switch to emergency power on the ICE forced the train driver to make another announcement, which, according to his own statement, was “a little embarrassing”: all toilet flushing on the train also stopped. All passengers were asked to avoid using the toilets if possible.
ICE evacuated on the way to Munich – hundreds of passengers have to change trains
It also became clear at this point: The train would no longer be able to continue its journey behind the tunnel shortly before Essleben; all attempts to restart it failed. Even the emergency manager who was called in and arrived at the train quickly after the problems were discovered was unable to do anything. As the train driver then informed us, the last option was to evacuate to a new train on the parallel track. With 600 passengers and luggage announced by the train driver, this is a major undertaking. The railway officially corrected the number slightly downwards, citing 450 passengers.
However, evacuating hundreds of people and their luggage doesn't happen quickly. However, the air quality in the compartments quickly deteriorated. Not surprising given that the outside temperature is around 20 degrees and there is no air conditioning. To compensate, there was free water on the train - but that was little consolation for the passengers. However, the employees on the train did their best to improve the situation, as our reporter reports. This also applies to the attempt to at least occasionally open doors to let people get some fresh air. However, this required numerous clarification loops, for example with the dispatchers, because in order to prevent danger, the parallel track also had to be closed, as the staff informed via an announcement.
Hour-long ICE evacuation – a stress test for railway staff and volunteer fire departments too
After a while, after the track closure had been clarified, it was at least possible to open one door on each part of the train to let people out into the fresh air via the emergency stairs. However, as a result of the unscheduled opening of the door, not only a small draft but also a loud, continuous beeping permeated the compartments. Shortly afterwards, emergency vehicles from the volunteer fire department from the region also arrived to support the evacuation. An empty ICE train from Halle set out to pick up the stranded passengers.
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The evacuation train arrived at the emergency site at 8:13 p.m., almost as the sun was setting. The fire department set up spotlights and built emergency stairs. The train was evacuated wagon by wagon, and the numerous passengers and their luggage were transferred from the old train to the new one. The fact that the whole procedure took place without any major complaining or major problems was certainly due in large part to the railway staff on site, who kept the people on site up to date with numerous announcements and radiated calm.
Train chaos on the way to Munich – passengers receive medical care
However, the evacuation by no means eliminated the problems. Instead, the bad air in the broken train and the excitement surrounding the evacuation also caused medical problems. The staff announced via an announcement that the departure of the new train would be delayed until emergency medical care had been completed for a passenger - a Bundeswehr soldier also rushed to help, as our reporter noticed. The railway also later confirmed that some passengers had suffered from circulatory problems and had received medical care. It was only after a good four hour stay that the evacuation train started moving.
However, the problems were far from being eliminated. The air conditioning was now working again, there were also functioning toilets and the train staff handed out chocolate to the passengers. Because of the long waiting time, the on-board bistro was already booming. But shortly after Erfurt, less than an hour later, the evacuation train also made an unscheduled stop, this time even in a tunnel. The train driver called again, again with a technical problem on the train. They were saying that they were no longer receiving any signals from the route, before the rest of the announcement was lost in the groans of the passengers.
Evacuation train also had a technical problem - arrived in Munich 343 minutes late
However, more than 30 minutes and a complete system restart later, the journey was able to continue. As a result, there were smaller unscheduled stops, but these were only a drop in the ocean of accumulated delays. Our reporter finally reached Munich Central Station at 1:45 a.m. 343 minutes late. The planned six-hour drive turned into almost 12 hours. Those traveling on from Nuremberg or Munich who had missed their connection could then arrange for a hotel room at the train counter in Munich Central Station.
For some people traveling on from Munich, however, the dilemma was far from over. In the Bavarian capital, a construction site on the S-Bahn main line and the associated closure immediately awaited the suffering ICE guests.
The broken down train in Thuringia also had further effects on rail traffic. The ICE route had to be closed until Sunday night because the train was towed away. Trains between Berlin and Munich were diverted between 6 p.m. and 12:45 a.m., the railway said. It happens very rarely that ICE trains have to be towed on an open route, said a railway spokeswoman.
(han/ with material from dpa)