ICE takes a wrong turn and gets lost – how dangerous is the curious incident?

An ICE got lost at the weekend because it got on the wrong track. How this could happen and how dangerous such a mistake is, explains a railway spokeswoman.

Magdeburg – Massive delays, failed air conditioning systems or spontaneous track changes – anyone travelling with Deutsche Bahn must expect all eventualities. However, it is rather unusual for DB trains to take a wrong exit and land in a completely different place than planned. However, this was the experience of train passengers who were on their way to Berlin on an ICE and instead drove on the wrong track in the direction of Magdeburg. Such a mistake is not only annoying, but can also be really dangerous.

ICE on the wrong track: delay of more than half an hour

The express train was supposed to take passengers from Hildesheim to Berlin on Sunday morning (7 April). However, as the NDR reported, referring to a reporter who was sitting privately in the ICE, the train had gone in a completely wrong direction. "We drove near Braunschweig in the direction of Magdeburg," reports the reporter from the ICE. Although the curious mistake is said to have been noticed quickly and the train was redirected back to its original route, the passengers arrived at their destination with a delay of 31 minutes.

The passengers were a good half hour late after the ICE initially drove in the wrong direction. © Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

According to the NDR reporter, the guests took it with humor: "The few passengers acknowledged it with a smile and a few funny sayings," he reported. How it came to the faux pas, explained a railway spokeswoman to the mirror. Accordingly, the responsible ferry service provider had guided the ICE near Braunschweig on a wrong route. The exact background is still being determined, according to the spokeswoman. However, the passengers were not in danger at any time.

Deutsche Bahn express train gets lost: probability of such an error is low

The situation would have been different if the express train had been routed onto a track on which other trains had already travelled. Then, in the worst case, there would have been a collision. However, as the railway made clear in the context of past incidents, the probability of such an accident is extremely low. Trains can only be diverted to the wrong tracks if they are free.

Despite frequent unreliability, Deutsche Bahn has massively increased its prices. DB points to the energy crisis and inflation as the reason for the increased prices.