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German Rail Vandalism Climbs in 2025 as Berlin Leads, Nuremberg Jumps and Frankfurt Drops

Police figures highlight a detection gap despite expanded security measures, including AI surveillance.

Overview

  • Federal police recorded 17,829 cases of unauthorized alterations to trains and rail property from January to October 2025, roughly 1,200 more than the same period in 2024.
  • Berlin remained the hotspot with 1,983 incidents, followed by Munich with 872 and Hamburg with 515.
  • Nuremberg rose to fourth place with 244 cases after totals of 147 and 152 in the previous two years.
  • Frankfurt fell to tenth with 162 cases, down from 233 and 266 in the prior comparable periods.
  • Authorities listed 18,812 suspects this year with 17,811 unidentified, while Deutsche Bahn reports over 2,700 on-the-spot apprehensions annually, about a quarter involving sprayers, and has added robotic monitoring with cameras and AI; the data cover all unauthorized changes to appearance and most incidents occur at stations.