Tragic railway accident in Blaustein: 24-year-old dies after collision

Tragic railway accident in Blaustein: 24-year-old dies after collision

Blaustein, Deutschland - A tragic accident occurred today in Blaustein in the Alb-Donau district. A 24-year-old ignored a closed barrier at a level crossing and was recorded when crossing a train. Despite the rapid help of the rescue workers, who were able to bring the life -threatening man to a clinic, he died in the facility in the afternoon. Such incidents underline the dangers that exist at level crossings and throw a light on the need for increased security education.

The accident in Blaustein is not an isolated case. According to a study by the International Railway Association UIC, 27 percent of all train accidents at level crossings pass. It is particularly worrying that 98 percent of accidents with death consequences are done in exactly these places. Stefan Pöting, Head of Railway Technology at TÜV Nord, points out that every third accident happens from the perspective of the trains at a level crossing, while from the perspective of road traffic, fewer than any hundred accident takes place at these transitions.

safety aspects at level crossings

level crossings are height -like intersections and represent a high risk, since rail vehicles cannot avoid and have long braking routes. A local train needs around 700 meters at a speed of 160 km/h to stand up. In the context, Pöting emphasizes the difficulties that are often underestimated by road users. Technical safety devices such as barriers and warning lights increase security, but many drivers ignore the warning signals.

• In 2022 there were 13,624 level crossings on the network of Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG).
• over 70 percent of these transitions are technically secured.
• Technically not secured level crossings are checked three times a year.
• DB AG invests around EUR 170 million annually in securing these transitions.

The way to improve security

The Federal Government already initiated a program for eliminating high level crossings in 1980. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of these transitions fell by 21 percent, which indicates successful measures. Nevertheless, many accidents are due to misconduct from road traffic participants, and therefore Pöting recommends that they would rather arrive too late at the goal than to take a risk.

In Switzerland, research is actively researched by safety at level crossings, while in Germany the optimization potential of the rail crossing is still being examined. The current events in Blaustein should serve as an urgent call to improve security measures and to raise awareness of the public.