Status: 11/22/2022 6:47 p.m
Deutsche Bahn checked hundreds of thousands of concrete sleepers after the train accident in Upper Bavaria in June. Another 130,000 are now being examined. This can lead to delays and closures – some federal states are particularly affected.
After the train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Deutsche Bahn is examining another 130,000 concrete sleepers. “Unfortunately, this will presumably not avoid restrictions,” the company said. Routes throughout Germany are affected – especially in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
There could be slower journeys and also closures. By the end of the year, almost all affected routes should be open to traffic again. In some cases, however, the replacement of the sleepers will continue into the coming year. In recent months, only about 60 percent of long-distance trains have been on time for various reasons.
Rock type could have caused damage
In the accident in June with five fatalities, the concrete sleepers came into focus as a possible cause. The railway then examined 200,000 sleepers of one type and then began replacing 137,000. This had already caused train delays and cancellations. According to Bahn, two-thirds of the restrictions have been remedied.
According to Bahn, the components checked in the summer were the same type of construction as on the section of the train that had an accident. Further examinations of the sleepers have now revealed that there is a manufacturing defect and that a certain type of rock in the concrete could be partly responsible for the damage.
Therefore, 130,000 sleepers with this type of rock from other manufacturers are now being checked. Conclusions about the cause of the accident in Upper Bavaria could not be drawn from the inspection findings, it said in the summer.