Cause identified for system outage that halted trains across Germany

Germany's rail network experienced a widespread communications system outage late on Tuesday, leaving travellers stranded across the country.

The disruption, which lasted about two hours, was attributed to a swap of a technical component within the critical GSM-R digital communication system.

Deutsche Bahn, the federal government-owned network operator, apologised for the abrupt cessation of services and offered taxi and hotel vouchers, though many passengers complained of a lack of information.

By Wednesday morning, trains were running “largely seamlessly”, but some residual delays were still anticipated across the network.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about the German rail system's operating quality, following years of increasing complaints about delays and underinvestment.