Deutsche Bahn trains halted nationwide after IT glitch

Wed Jun 24 2026 10:28:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A nationwide IT failure stopped all Deutsche Bahn trains for over two hours, forcing passengers to wait and travel plans to be disrupted.

On Tuesday night a nationwide IT failure caused Deutsche Bahn to pause all train services. The glitch affected the GSM‑R communication network, leaving trains at stations for more than two and a half hours. Deutsche Bahn’s engineers resolved the issue, but passengers faced delays, cancellations and long lines. The company apologized, offered vouchers and replacement transport, and urged commuters to consider alternate routes. While services are resuming, delays are still expected as the network stabilises.

Nationwide train halt in Germany

On Tuesday night Deutsche Bahn suspended all train services across Germany after a malfunction in its digital railway radio network. The system, known as GSM‑R, failed to allow train drivers and traffic control centres to communicate, causing every train to stand still at stations for more than two and a half hours.

The company’s IT team worked through the night to resolve the issue. By 22:30 local time (21:30 BST) they confirmed the network was restored and trains began to resume service, although delays and cancellations were still expected.

Deutsche Bahn apologized to affected passengers and announced it would provide taxi and hotel vouchers for those stranded. The operator also promised replacement transport where possible and urged commuters to consider alternate routes pending full normalisation.

S‑Bahn services, which connect suburbs with city centres, were also halted. The S‑Bahn Berlin team later stated that while GSM‑R was repaired and trains could run again, some delays and cancellations might still occur.

Passengers caught in the outage formed long queues at stations, and many had to travel by bus or arrange other means. Deutsche Bahn continues to monitor the situation and will keep travelers updated as normal service resumes.