Bahn-Unglücks-Land Oberbayern: Chronology of a disturbing accumulation
Created: 01/11/2023 06:01
By: Klaus-Maria Mehr, Elisa Buhrke
A train with 50 students derailed in the Oberland.
This is not the only train accident that has recently occurred in Upper Bavaria.
A disturbing chronology of many train crashes and near-disasters within a few years.
Bavaria – The passengers who were on the derailed train near Peiting on Tuesday morning were lucky: Miraculously, none of them, including 50 schoolchildren, were injured.
The Bavarian Regionalbahn train was already running at reduced speed when it slipped off the rails and came to a stop in the track bed.
Sad balance: luck in misfortune in Peiting (lo), eleven dead in Bad Aibling (ro), one dead in Schäftlarn (lu) and Garmisch-Partenkirchen with five dead (ru).
© Schlotterer-Fuchs/dpa
17 train passengers die within six years in Upper Bavaria
However, not all accidents that have occurred in the railway state of Bavaria in recent years have gone so lightly: In June 2022, five people died when a train derailed near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and in February 2016 eleven died in a collision near Bad Aibling inmates killed.
A total of 17 train passengers die within six years in Upper Bavaria.
An overview of the train accidents from 2014 to 2022 without claiming to be complete.
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2014 near Sauerlach: S-Bahn collides with a car and derails
An accident that many will no longer have on their screens.
A car slides onto the S-Bahn tracks near Deisenhofen (route of the S3 between Munich and Holzkirchen) in 2014.
The driver saves herself, but an S-Bahn rushes against it and derails, just like the crisis management of Deutsche Bahn at the time.
Bad Aibling, February 9, 2016: Two Meridian trains collide, twelve people die
It was one of the worst train accidents in Bavaria's history.
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the collision between two meridian trains in Bad Aibling, with twelve dead and 89 injured.
Victims and rescuers are still struggling to find their way back to normal.
With varying degrees of success.
January 22, 2020: Near collision at Griesen
On the problem railway line near Griesen (Garmisch-Partenkirchen district), two regional trains are running towards each other on the same track: Only the attentive driver's emergency braking prevents a catastrophe.
Both trains come to a standstill 20 meters apart.
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District of Munich, February 2022: Collision of two S-Bahn trains - one person dies
Another fatal accident occurred in February 2022. In Schäftlarn near Munich, two S-Bahn trains crashed into one another, killing a 24-year-old and injuring 18 other passengers, some of them seriously.
According to the investigators, the blame lies with one of the two train drivers, who ignored a stop signal and released an emergency brake in order to continue his journey towards Munich.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, June 2022: Regional train derails - five people die
Just six years after Bad Aibling, another historic train accident occurs in Upper Bavaria: In June 2022, a regional train derailed near Farchant in the Burgrain district.
Five people are killed, including a youth and two Ukrainian refugees.
16 other passengers suffer serious injuries.
To date, the cause has not been finally clarified.
In this case, those responsible will have a hard time blaming human error.
It is very likely that material fatigue on an old track is responsible for the dead.
Rails, ballast and sleepers were renewed on a stretch of eleven kilometers between Murnau and Garmisch.
The public prosecutor's office is still investigating four railway employees on suspicion of negligent homicide.
The route has been open to train traffic again since November.
Dachau district, December 2022: S-Bahn rams a clearing vehicle
In December 2022, a 23-year-old steers his clearing vehicle over an unrestricted level crossing in the Markt Indersdorf municipality.
An S-Bahn caught the vehicle and shredded it.
The driver is taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The train driver is in shock.
In comparison to Garmisch and Aibling, it is probably more of a side note and yet a nod to the precarious protection of the Upper Bavarian tracks.
The greater Munich area and southern Upper Bavaria are teeming with unguarded level crossings.
Accidents happen all the time.
Peiting, January 2023: BRB derailed shortly before the station - miraculously no one was injured
And now Peiting, where a BRB railcar drives over a switch and then on the track bed.
Low speed and good luck have prevented worse here.
The approximately 50 students get away with a shock.
The route is closed until further notice.
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