A regional service operated by German Rail (DB) subsidiary DB Regio derailed on the evening of July 27 during stormy weather near Riedlingen in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, 45km southwest of Ulm. The driver, another DB employee and one passenger died in the accident, and many of the approximately 100 other passengers onboard were injured, some seriously.
The train was formed of two class 612 two-car tilting DMUs originally built by Adtranz, working an RE55 service from Sigmaringen to Ulm main station, and early indications suggest the train was travelling at 80km/h at the time of the accident. Video footage shows that all four cars left the single-track line in a densely wooded area, which made rescue by the emergency services particularly difficult.
An investigation has been launched by the Federal Bureau of Railway Accident Investigation (BEU). A criminal investigation is also pending, with local police and prosecutors suggesting that the train ran into a landslide caused by the failure of an embankment after a drainage channel was overwhelmed. According to retrospective analysis by the German Weather Service (DWD), torrential rain of up to 50 litres per m2 per hour fell in the area of the accident during a heavy thunderstorm.
Transport minister, Patrick Schnieder, and DB CEO, Richard Lutz, visited the accident site on July 28. "The images and reports we all saw, and especially the impressions we gathered here in Riedlingen, are deeply moving and leave us shocked and dismayed," Lutz said.
