Germany-wide train stoppage after GSM-R radio failure; service slowly resumes
Deutsche Bahn suspended all train services nationwide on Tuesday evening after the GSM-R digital radio system collapsed. First trains began moving again after midnight, but passengers face extensive delays and cancellations into Wednesday morning.
What happened
Late on Tuesday, 23 June, Germany's entire rail network ground to a halt when the GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway) digital radio system failed. The system is the primary communication link between train drivers and control centres. A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson confirmed the nationwide stoppage, stating that all trains were being held at stations. The cause of the failure was initially unknown.
We are currently trying to get the trains to the nearest stations so that passengers can disembark. Only then do we have to fix the problem, the cause of which we do not yet know.
Immediate impact
The disruption affected long-distance, regional, and S-Bahn services across the country. In Berlin, the entire S-Bahn network was shut down, and the city's main airport, BER, was left with only buses and taxis to handle arriving passengers. Around 200 travellers waited for overcrowded buses, with some sharing taxis. Private operators like Metronom, which runs regional services in Lower Saxony, Bremen, and Hamburg, also stopped all trains. Freight traffic was likewise suspended.
At Berlin Hauptbahnhof and other stations, stranded passengers faced confusion and a lack of information. A Welt reporter on ICE 70 from Karlsruhe to Hamburg described the train stopping shortly before 10 p.m. and passengers receiving water. On ICE 846 from Berlin to Cologne, an announcement warned of a 300-minute delay; the train eventually moved again just after midnight. At BER airport, an Irish tourist with a surfboard, a couple from Dresden, and a group of young Britons were among those struggling to find transport. A bus driver on line X71 told the crowd, "I can't take all of you," and promised to return.
All trains are standing still, and we expect that nothing will run tonight.
Response and recovery
Deutsche Bahn technicians worked intensively to resolve the fault. The company later announced that the cause had been identified, though it declined to disclose details. Shortly after midnight, the first trains resumed service. DB Regio Mitte and Berlin S-Bahn confirmed the restart, but warned that high subsequent delays and short-notice cancellations should be expected until at least 6 a.m. on 24 June. In North Rhine-Westphalia, operators said it would take some time for services to return to normal.
- Nationwide train stoppage begins after GSM-R radio system fails.
- Deutsche Bahn identifies cause of the disruption but does not disclose it.
- First trains resume service; S-Bahn Berlin and DB Regio Mitte restart operations.
- Expected time for normalization; high delays and cancellations continue.
Historical context
The GSM-R system last failed in October 2022, when a three-hour outage in northern Germany was traced to deliberate cable damage. According to Reuters, Deutsche Bahn has faced an increasing number of sabotage and vandalism incidents in recent years. No indication of foul play has been given for the current disruption.
