Status: 08/19/2022 3:08 p.m
Deutsche Bahn wants to replace many concrete sleepers by at least the end of the year. She had already started in June – after the train accident in Upper Bavaria. Irregularities had been found in some of the sleepers examined so far.
After the train accident in Burgrain near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Deutsche Bahn replaced masses of concrete sleepers and also closed sections of the route. According to Deutsche Bahn, this will slow down train traffic in many places until at least the end of the year.
“The aim is for almost all affected routes to be normally passable again by the end of the year,” the group said. “But it is also clear that some of the sleeper replacements will continue into the coming year.” There are currently restrictions for passengers due to the examinations of the components at around 165 points in the rail network. The federal states of Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are primarily affected.
Wherever anomalies were found during the examination of 200,000 sleepers, people have already reacted with slow-moving sections: “Diversions, longer travel times or even rail replacement traffic cannot be avoided through the work.”
No conclusions as to the cause of the accident
The group announced that “irregularities in the material properties” were sometimes found on the sleepers examined. Several technical reports pointed to a manufacturer error. Further details were not initially known.
Conclusions about the cause of the accident in Upper Bavaria could not be drawn from these findings, it said. The investigations are still ongoing, but no results have yet been determined.
In Burgrain, a regional train derailed in early June. Five people, including a teenager, died in the accident. There were numerous serious and minor injuries. A few weeks later, Deutsche Bahn began checking and replacing around 200,000 concrete sleepers nationwide.
Claims for recourse will be checked
According to the railway, the components are the same type of construction as on the section of the train that crashed. It is still unclear at how many of the thresholds examined abnormalities were discovered. Deutsche Bahn estimates the damage to be in the hundreds of millions. According to its own statements, it is examining claims for recourse against the sleeper manufacturer.
The exchange hits the railway network in an already extremely tense situation. Due to low water, many ships cannot sail and industry and commerce want to switch to rail. However, this is already overloaded, to which military transports in the course of the Ukraine war and the already dilapidated network in many places also contribute.
In autumn and winter, the federal government is also increasingly relying on coal and oil transport for power plants, since gas is to be used less for electricity generation. These transports are to be given priority on the network. The railway also suffers from a lack of staff.