Train crash in Garmisch caused by material defect.
In 2020, a regional train traveling from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich experienced a deadly derailment, resulting in the loss of five lives and injuries to dozens of individuals. New findings by the Federal Railway Accident Investigation Office (BEU) suggest that a fault in the manufacturing process of certain switches played a major role in this unfortunate incident.
The interim report, released two years after the accident, uncovered a specific manufacturing defect in the switches that weakened the material over time. This finding was made following in-depth investigations into the cause of the accident.
The tragic derailment occurred on June 3, 2022, and left 78 people injured, 16 of them severely. It was discovered that chemical reactions set in after the manufacturing of concrete components, causing the damage.
The BEU report states, "The damage was the result of a long-standing process and resulted in a structural failure of the concrete slab switches." Furthermore, it was determined that the internal damage was far greater than what could be perceived from the outside. The cracks also occurred in an area covered by gravel, railway lines, and small rails, making it difficult to identify the issue just by visual inspection.
Read also:
The faulty switches implicated in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen train crash were manufactured internationally. Despite the incident occurring in 2022, the underlying manufacturing defect was a lingering issue, traceable back to the switches' initial production.
