German Rail Network Halted Nationwide After IT Malfunction

On the evening of 23 June 2026, Germany’s national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, had to halt all train services nationwide after an unexpected IT malfunction crippled its digital radio network. The failure, affecting the Global System for Mobile Communications for Railways (GSM‑R), caused every train to be held in station until the problem was fixed.

The disruption began at 22:30 local time (21:30 BST). Technicians working at Deutsche Bahn’s control centre reported that the GSM‑R network, the wireless link between train drivers and traffic‑control offices, had stopped functioning. As a result, no trains could be dispatched and passenger services came to a complete stop.

Deutsche Bahn’s IT team worked for more than two‑and‑a‑half hours to repair the fault. After the fix, the company said that services were gradually resuming and thanked passengers for their patience.

Passengers were urged to seek alternative transport, with major delays and cancellations expected. Deutsche Bahn estimated that hundreds of trains and thousands of travellers were affected, though it did not disclose exact numbers or recover‑time estimates.

In a follow‑up statement to German media, CEO Evelyn Palla said the company was prioritising getting trains into safety stations so that travellers could disembark safely.

GSM‑R is a specialised wireless communication system used for real‑time data exchange between trains and control centres. The outage exposed how dependent the rail network is on digital infrastructure.

Deutsche Bahn apologised to passengers and announced that affected travelers would receive taxi vouchers and hotel accommodations for the duration of the disruption. Replacement transport would also be offered where possible.

While long‑distance and regional services were halted, the network’s S‑Bahn lines, which serve city suburbs, also stopped temporarily. The S‑Bahn Berlin operator confirmed that the outage had been resolved and trains would run again, but warned of continued delays and cancellations.

Moving forward, Deutsche Bahn is reviewing its IT resilience measures to prevent future nationwide disruptions and ensure smoother travel for millions of passengers daily.