German police hunt suspect after ICE train door opens at 200 km/h near Karlstadt

Emergency stop at high speed

On Tuesday evening at 19:32 (reported as Monday evening by Der Spiegel), ICE 528 was travelling from Munich to Dortmund at approximately 200 kilometres per hour through Lower Franconia in northern Bavaria. As the high-speed service approached the entrance of the Schönraintunnel near Karlstadt in the Main-Spessart district, an exterior carriage door in the rear section opened during transit. The train driver initiated an immediate emergency stop, halting the train near the tunnel entrance portal. All 238 passengers and eight Deutsche Bahn employees on board were uninjured.

Investigation and sabotage evidence

The Federal Police opened a criminal investigation into the intentional misuse of emergency equipment and impairment of accident prevention tools. Investigators found that the emergency door release had been deliberately manipulated rather than malfunctioning mechanically. The protective plexiglass cover enclosing the emergency button was smashed, and the security seal had been cut before the button was activated. Deutsche Bahn dismissed the possibility of a technical failure on the vehicle.

Doors in the ICE do not simply open during travel.

Federal Police confirmed that railway safety designs permit door opening only when emergency systems are triggered, though no actual threat or fire was present.

Search operation along the tracks

Because authorities could not immediately rule out whether a passenger had fallen from the train into the darkness, emergency services carried out a comprehensive search along the rail corridor. Nearly 300 responders from the Bavarian State Police, the Federal Police, local fire departments, rescue services, and Deutsche Bahn searched the route. Emergency teams deployed drones, rescue dog units, a helicopter, and thermal imaging systems, while a specialized rescue train called from Fulda was turned back after responders determined it was not required. Stephan Hellwig, spokesperson for the Federal Police Inspectorate in Würzburg, explained the decision to keep travellers on board during the operation.

It was dark, the terrain was rough. That is why the passengers had to hold out in the train until the conclusion of the police measures.

Rail disruptions and passenger transfer

The multi-agency search confirmed that no passengers were missing or injured along the tracks, and no luggage had been lost. Passengers seated in the forward section departed earlier using replacement buses, while 120 passengers from the rear carriages remained on board until approximately 02:30 for police questioning and evidence collection. The train was moved under its own power to the station in Lohr am Main at about 01:00. The full track closure remained in effect until 02:40, resulting in 5,826 minutes of cumulative delays across 125 trains, with no scheduled cancellations.