Heavy train accident in Passau: Truck collisioned with regional train!

Heavy train accident in Passau: Truck collisioned with regional train!

in the district of Passau, Bavaria, there was a serious train accident in which at least ten people were injured. A regional train collided with a truck shortly before 3:00 p.m. The emergency call received at 2:55 p.m. and the emergency services were immediately on site. In the accident, 15 passengers were on the train, of whom the truck driver and one person were seriously injured on the train. In addition, seven other train passengers suffered minor injuries. The truck that was dragged through the impact stopped across the tracks, while the truck driver was thrown out of the cab and fell on the tracks. The regional railway derailed as a result of the collision.

Numerous rescue workers were in action and the Deutsche Bahn sent emergency management employees to support. A replacement traffic on buses has been set up to bridge the blocked railway line between Pocking and the parish churches. It remains unclear how long the route and the adjacent district road will be closed. A mountain vehicle was on the move to rescue the truck, while the Passau traffic police inspection started the accident.

background and prevention

The current accident is part of a worrying series of accidents on untrained level crossings. Although the number of level crossings in Germany was reduced from 28,000 in the 1990s to 15,820 in 2023, the danger Situation remains. According to n-tv there is over 95% of accidents between trains and vehicles due to inattention or unknowing. To clarify the population, Deutsche Bahn initiates the campaign "Safe".

In recent years, the accident rate of level crossings has decreased considerably, but the challenges are still available. In 2023, 154 accidents at level crossings nationwide were recorded, which underlines the need for further security measures. These developments originated in a fatal accident in Hamburg, which caused Deutsche Bahn to further reduce the number of crossings and instead to build over or underpass for pedestrians and vehicles.

The investigation into the current accident in Bavaria will shed light on all aspects of the situation to understand the causes and possibly prevent future incidents.