Trains resume after radio issue resolved, Deutsche Bahn says

A radio fault at the German rail network has now been solved and trains have resumed.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Fwpi

An Intercity Express train parked at Cologne Main Station in 2025
DB trains frequently run into issues and are often unreliable [FILE: 2025]Image: Roberto Pfeil/dpa/picture alliance

If you’re affected by the outage, follow the guidelines at the Deutsche Bahn website here.

German rail company Deutsche Bahn is resuming train services after a tech meltdown halted trains across the country for about two hours on Tuesday night.

Deutsche Bahn said in a statement that the issue — a technical fault with the so-called Global System ⁠for ​Mobile ​Communication for Railways (GSM-R) communication system — has been fixed.

All trains suspended at German rail network: What to know 

Deutsche Bahn said earlier the outage was due to a nationwide problem with the GSM-R communication system, which is used for international communication on the railway network.

That meant all trains were suspended across the country.

All trains were suspended in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Berlin’s public transport authorities said that municipal, regional and long-distance trains run by Deutsche Bahn were impacted by the outage. 

Commuters were dealt travel headaches late Tuesday as services went down
Commuters were dealt travel headaches late Tuesday as services went downImage: Joko/picture alliance

Problem identified and technicians were working to resolve the issue

The German rail in an earlier update said the disruption that led to the internal communications outage had been identified and technicians were working to resolve the issue.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla spoke to the German Bild newspaper before that said “we are now trying to get the trains into stations so that travelers can disembark. And then we have to fix the problem, which we don’t yet know.” 

Deutsche Bahn apologized to passengers for the situation and issued taxi and hotel vouchers to people affected.

The German rail is notorious for frequent late trains and cancellations.  

S-Bahn services in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart also impacted by outage

Passenger train services or the S-Bahn suburban railway link operated by Deutsche Bahn were also affected in some cities, including Berlin.

Authorities at the Berlin S-Bahn said all trains across all lines were suspended due to a communication failure.

Authorities in Stuttgart said so too, writing: “At present, all S-Bahn trains across the entire network are being held at platforms.”

“Please check your journey in the travel information system for alternative transport options. We will inform you as soon as we have new information and can assess how long the disruption will last.”

This story will be updated.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

Don’t let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the “star” or “preferred” button, so you’ll always see our verified news first.

About The Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About the Author

Easy WordPress Websites Builder: Versatile Demos for Blogs, News, eCommerce and More – One-Click Import, No Coding! 1000+ Ready-made Templates for Stunning Newspaper, Magazine, Blog, and Publishing Websites.

BlockSpare — News, Magazine and Blog Addons for (Gutenberg) Block Editor

Search the Archives

Access over the years of investigative journalism and breaking reports