After the train accident near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a media report spoke of an incendiary letter from several railway employees. As early as 2019, they are said to have pointed out safety risks in the route network. Accordingly, there was a lack of money and personnel for repairs.
According to research by Südwestrundfunk (SWR), several railway employees had already issued a fire letter in 2019 warning of possible safety risks in the Deutsche Bahn route network. On seven pages, the employees showed an urgent need for action, as “Report Mainz” published. Each person responsible for the system bears sole responsibility for up to 400 kilometers of track and switches – there is a lack of money and personnel to be able to carry out the necessary repairs. Deutsche Bahn did not want to comment on the fire letter, which is particularly explosive in connection with the Garmisch-Partenkirchen train accident.
The initiator of the letter, which “Report Mainz” claims to have, said: “We, those responsible for the plant, became petitioners. We had to beg for every penny of money. That was what prompted us to write this letter at the time.” When asked, Deutsche Bahn did not want to confirm the existence of the fire letter or comment on its content, because the investigative sovereignty lies exclusively with the law enforcement authorities and they therefore do not want to comment on the ongoing investigations or anticipate them.
Most recently, there were increasing indications of the suspicion that had existed from the start that the accident on June 3rd, which left 5 dead and 16 seriously injured, was caused by technical defects. In a printed matter from the Bundestag’s Transport Committee, for example, there is talk of a rail shift and “partly pre-damaged concrete sleepers”. According to the paper, these may have led to “an impermissible lane widening and the loss of lane guidance”.
