Nothing worked at Deutsche Bahn on Wednesday night. Image: Keystone
Deutsche Bahn traffic was suspended nationwide on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning due to a disruption, and private railways in several cities were also canceled. Switzerland, on the other hand, was not affected. The most important thing about the railway chaos in 5 points.
June 24, 2026, 02:16June 24, 2026, 03:28
What happened?
It was a night of chaos for Deutsche Bahn passengers. Shortly before midnight, all rail traffic in Germany came to a standstill due to a nationwide disruption, and travelers did not know what would happen next. Videos and images on social media show huge queues in front of the Deutsche Bahn information portals.
People are queuing at the Deutsche Bahn information stand. Image: Keystone
The problem was resolved at 1 a.m. “Traffic is now starting up again step by step,” said a spokesman for the DPA at this time. DB IT experts worked nonstop on a solution.
It wasn’t just train traffic that was affected. In some cities, S-Bahn trains operated by Deutsche Bahn were also canceled. Freight traffic, which travels mainly in the evenings and at night, was also affected.
In Berlin, traffic on the entire S-Bahn network was suspended. In Stuttgart it was also said that night: “All S-Bahn trains in the entire S-Bahn network are currently being brought to a stop at the platforms.”
Various private railways were also affected. The company Metronom, which operates local trains in Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg, said that all trains on all routes were affected.
Video: twitter/Excision77
Should further restrictions be expected?
Deutsche Bahn announced on Wednesday night that train services had resumed. But: “Until rail traffic returns to normal, major delays and short-term trip cancellations must be expected until at least Wednesday at 6 a.m.,” announced DB Regio Mitte on the X platform.
Train services have resumed.
Until rail traffic returns to normal, major delays and short-term cancellations must be expected until at least June 24, 2026 – 6 a.m. https://t.co/piTJ12RI52— DB Regio AG – Mitte (@Regio_Mitte) June 23, 2026
What was the cause?
The DB identified the cause of the disruption after midnight; according to a spokesman, the digital railway radio GSM-R was disrupted. There was initially no further information.
What does Deutsche Bahn say?
Due to the disruption, Deutsche Bahn is issuing taxi and hotel vouchers to travelers. “Where possible, temporary trains were made available,” said a railway spokesman for the DPA. And: “DB apologizes to travelers for the situation.” Thank you to all passengers for their patience.
Was Switzerland also affected?
No, Swiss train traffic was not affected by the disruption. SBB spokesman Moritz Weisskopf said this at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. The SBB had been in contact with Deutsche Bahn.
(ome, with materials from the news agencies SDA and DPA)