World · Europe · 6 hrs ago
Report finds safety failures at Hamburg crossing before fatal ICE crash
A German rail accident investigation has found unnoticed safety risks at Hamburg’s Reller crossing before an ICE train hit a truck there on 11 February 2025.
The train was travelling from Kiel to Munich, and one passenger died in the crash.
The truck was carrying long steel rails and became stuck while crossing a narrow road with a sharp turn.
The report says the crossing gave long vehicles too little time to clear the tracks, and the train driver saw the truck too late to avoid the collision.
The report identifies gaps in safety oversight and unclear responsibility for the road, which was owned by the rail operator but also used by traffic.
It does not blame the truck driver, train driver or rail controller.
The crossing has been closed since the crash, and a new route to the nearby works is planned without a railway crossing.
A federal investigation found that safety risks at Hamburg’s Reller railway crossing were not identified before an ICE train struck a lorry on 11 February 2025.
The report said the crossing gave long vehicles too little time and space to clear the tracks, contributing to the crash.
One passenger died and 24 others were injured.
The report said the railway infrastructure operator had unclear responsibilities for the private road and could have restricted large vehicles.
The crossing has been closed since the crash, and a new access route without a railway crossing is planned.
- Who
- ICE 613 and a lorry carrying rails collided. One passenger died and 24 others were injured.
- What
- A train struck a lorry that was on the tracks at a level crossing.
- When
- 11 February 2025, at about 14:06.
- Where
- Reller level crossing in Hamburg-Rönneburg, between Hamburg-Harburg and Hittfeld.
- Why
- The investigation said the crossing’s design gave long vehicles too little time and space to clear the tracks, and that safety risks had not been identified.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Vossloh said rail transports had been using the Reller crossing since 2010.
The investigation report recorded 76 barrier malfunctions, most without a recorded cause.
ICE 613 collided with a rail-carrying lorry at the Reller crossing.
The crossing was closed, and Vossloh began transporting rails by train.
MOPO reported that the federal investigation authority had presented its final report.
- Train
- ICE 613, travelling from Kiel to Munich
- Crossing
- Reller level crossing, Hamburg-Rönneburg
- Crash date
- 11 February 2025
- Casualties
- One passenger died; one was seriously injured and 23 were slightly injured
- Estimated damage
- €11,520,000
- Train speed at impact
- 110.2 km/h
3 sources
What people are saying
I was sleeping in the garden here then and suddenly there was a terrible bang
There had already been several accidents here