Overview
- ZDF’s new report by Dunja Hayali, published in July 2026, assembles an internal investigation, interviews and union data to ask whether recurring technical and communication failures at Deutsche Bahn are a systemic safety problem.
- The June 2022 derailment near Garmisch-Partenkirchen that killed five people is highlighted as a case study, with the internal report blaming degraded concrete sleepers and finding that critical information was not passed to inspectors.
- Two Deutsche Bahn employees were acquitted at the end of January 2026, which the film uses to shift responsibility from individuals to organizational and political failings.
- The documentary notes Deutsche Bahn replaced millions of concrete sleepers after the crash but could not confirm how many degraded sleepers remain and cites a GDL survey showing 80 percent of drivers rarely or never get feedback after reporting defects.
- Hayali emphasizes Germany’s slow digital upgrade, reporting roughly 2 percent ETCS coverage compared with Belgium’s full-network rollout, and includes Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla and MP Michael Donth acknowledging gaps that increase calls for a funded masterplan and faster modernization.