Railway accident in the Katzenstein tunnel

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The railway accident in the Katzenstein tunnel was the head-on collision of two trains on the valley line of the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn on June 10, 2000. At least 59 people were injured as a result.

Starting position

In order to be able to use the vehicles more economically, the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn has had a broken operation since 1987: The cogwheel vehicles only drive the route between Grainau station and the Zugspitzplatt , other vehicles the single-track flat line between Grainau and Garmisch station, which is exclusively used in adhesion mode . Passengers from Garmisch to the Zugspitze therefore have to change trains in Grainau; on the cogwheel route, a 20-minute cycle was possible without additional vehicles. The flat route has a single tunnel , the Katzenstein tunnel .

At the time of the accident, the line was operated in train control mode without stationary signals . In planned operation, there is an hourly cycle and there is always only one vehicle in the section between Grainau and Garmisch , so that a collision is impossible. The driving permit to Garmisch then also contained that for the return journey to Grainau. If there is heavy traffic, either a second railcar can be used and run every half hour or with a railcar, accepting delays . Then the train drivers , who are also train drivers , have to obtain a - mostly verbal - travel order from the dispatcher at Grainau station, who is also the train manager .

Shortly before the time of the accident, the ABeh 4/4 I 309 multiple unit built in 1979 was bought by the Berner Oberland-Bahnen for operation on the flat line . It was put into operation at the start of the Whitsun holidays in Bavaria on the day before the accident. Since it was operated differently than the conventional vehicles, the drivers had to be briefed. This was done by the railway operations manager . Together with a driver, he drove from the depot to Grainau station. There he agreed with the dispatcher to take an empty trip to Garmisch. The dispatcher informed him that a railcar would follow him, as an intermediate trip from Garmisch was necessary due to the crowd. It was agreed between the operations manager and the train driver that the former would take over the function of train driver. Motorcar 309 drove to Garmisch and there initially on a siding. The operations manager announced his arrival in Grainau.

the accident

The operations manager understood that he should take over the intermediate journey with the 309, and that the double multiple unit following him would then take over the subsequent planned journey. The dispatcher, on the other hand, assumed that the double multiple unit would take over the intermediate journey and that the operations manager would ask him as the train driver before he left Garmisch station.

Because of this misunderstanding, the operations manager had the 309 in Garmisch drive to the platform and the waiting people boarded, while the dispatcher from Grainau sent the double multiple unit off to Garmisch. Assuming that there is always only one straight train in the section to Grainau and that the double multiple unit would only be dispatched when the 309 was back in Grainau, the 309 motor vehicle set off as well.

The area in the vicinity of the Katzenstein tunnel does not give the driver any chance of noticing an oncoming train. There was a head-on collision in the tunnel at 10:45 a.m.

consequences

28 people were seriously injured, 31 slightly injured. Rescuing the injured was difficult as the trains collided in the tunnel. The property damage amounted to 8 million  DM .

In the subsequent criminal proceedings, the operations manager was sentenced to 10 months ' imprisonment on probation and a fine of 8,000 DM as a suspended condition because he had failed to obtain permission to leave the Garmisch train station from the dispatcher. The driver and dispatcher were acquitted .

literature

  • Erich Preuss: Railway accidents at Deutsche Bahn. Causes - Background - Consequences. Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-613-71229-6 , pp. 116-119.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Knowledge Zugspitzbahn - Milestones indicates the number of 64 injured.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erich Preuss: Railway accidents at the Deutsche Bahn. Causes - Background - Consequences. Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-613-71229-6 , pp. 116-119.

Coordinates: 47 ° 28 '43.7 "  N , 11 ° 4' 1.9"  E