Overview

• An internal investigation concludes the crash that killed five people and injured about 78 near Garmisch-Partenkirchen on June 3, 2022 was avoidable.
• Responsibility is assigned to on-site operational personnel for rule violations and to then-responsible DB Netz board members for inadequate response to known risks.
• Defective concrete sleepers weakened by internal chemical reactions are identified as the technical cause, with investigators noting DB Netz had insights about such damage across multiple levels.
• Deutsche Bahn reports roughly two million potentially risky sleepers have already been replaced and says it has implemented extensive training and risk-sensitivity measures.
• An earlier BEU report corroborated the sleeper failure and recorded that a driver’s warning the night before was not forwarded; a criminal trial of two railway employees begins in October with a verdict expected in February 2026.