Overview
- A more than 300‑page investigation by law firm Gleiss Lutz, commissioned by DB InfraGo after the June 2022 Garmisch-Partenkirchen derailment, was reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung.
- The report describes “significant intimidation” of infrastructure managers and recounts superiors rejecting slow orders with directives that trains had to keep running.
- Investigators link the practices to executive incentives tied to punctuality, saying targets pushed managers to prioritize on-time performance over safety interventions.
- An internal 2022 proposal documented a 70% cut to preventive maintenance on medium-usage lines, covering about 2,500 kilometers of track and 17,000 kilometers of vegetation work, with expected quality declines.
- Deutsche Bahn said safety comes first, stated that any misconduct would have immediate personnel consequences, cited post-accident measures, and confirmed Gleiss Lutz will assist in addressing the deficiencies.