By Pauline von Pezold and Katja Colmenares
Sitting in a crowded regional train when the temperature is above 30 degrees is already an impertinence. It becomes a nightmare journey when the train breaks down – in the RE5 this happened twice in one day.
Due to a technical defect in the overhead line, a regional train broke down near Birkenwerder on Sunday evening. The power supply was cut off and the air conditioning didn’t work either. In addition, the train to Berlin was completely overcrowded.
On Twitter, passengers report chaotic conditions. The travelers were trapped in the train, windows and doors could not be opened. When a passenger collapsed, a window was kicked in, passengers got off the train onto the rails – life-threatening! The passengers could only be evacuated after an hour and a half.
While a DB spokesman speaks of an “annoying isolated case”, there was probably a similar incident just a few hours later – again at the RE5. The train was on its way from Rostock to Berlin when it came to a standstill at Gransee. Again, the reason was a broken overhead line.
“The train was overcrowded, I estimate there were around 1,500 passengers,” says Michelle Marx from Berlin, who was trapped on the train. “We were asked to get off, there was a rail replacement service, but it never came.”
Only after two hours did a regional train drive to Oranienburg. On the onward journey to Berlin, the passengers were on their own.
Train cancellations, hour-long delays, broken trains and tracks – has Deutsche Bahn ever let you down? Write to us about your worst train experiences. www.bz.de/leserreporter