A train derails, five people die: The train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the summer shook the region badly. The investigations are ongoing, and an interim report should be available in early 2023.
Half a year after the serious train accident with five dead in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the question of responsibility is still unclear. The investigations were still ongoing, said a spokesman for the Munich II public prosecutor on request. He did not comment on the question of when a conclusion could be expected. The prosecution continues to investigate four railway employees on suspicion of negligent homicide.
The Federal Office for Railway Accident Investigation announced that it intends to publish an interim report before the anniversary of the accident. This is planned for the beginning of 2023, the federal agency said on request.
Exactly six months ago, on June 3rd, a regional train to Munich derailed. Four women and a 13-year-old died, and dozens of people were injured, some seriously. After the investigators released the route again, Deutsche Bahn started work on routes in the Werdenfelser Land and in the Oberland in the summer. In mid-November, train services resumed at the scene of the accident.
According to Bahn, there will still be some travel time extensions and individual train cancellations until the timetable change on December 11th. The route from Murnau to Garmisch-Partenkirchen was extensively renovated after the accident. The connection is of great importance for the tourist region, especially because of the forthcoming winter season.
On the main route between Murnau and Garmisch alone, rails, ballast and sleepers were renewed over a total length of more than eleven kilometers. Slow-moving sections are also being and have been eliminated on other lines and tracks renewed by changing rails and sleepers.
The modernization is expected to continue into next year. A total of around 80 million euros will flow into the renewal of the railway lines in the region. As a consequence of the accident, Deutsche Bahn also began checking around 200,000 concrete sleepers nationwide.