On 9 February 2016, two Meridian-branded passenger trains had a head-on collision at Bad Aibling, Germany. Of approximately 150 people on board the two trains, 12 people died and 85 others were injured, of which 24 seriously.
Two months after the accident, investigators announced that it had been caused by the irresponsible Deutsche Bahn train dispatcher who gave incorrect orders to the two trains while distracted by a game he was playing on his mobile phone. The dispatcher further compounded his error when, upon realizing it, he tried to send emergency codes to the trains but entered the wrong combination into his computer.
Accident
The collision occurred at 06:46:56 CET (05:46:56 UTC) on the single-track Mangfall Valley Railway () on a curve between the stations of Kolbermoor and Bad Aibling-Kurpark close to the Bad Aibling sewage works in Bavaria. , a total of 11 people had died, including both train drivers and several other railway employees. In total 85 people were injured; 24 injured seriously and 61 injured less seriously. A twelfth victim died from his injuries two months after the accident.
The two trains were Stadler 3 multiple-units, operated under the Meridian brand by the Bayerische Oberlandbahn (BOB), a subsidiary of Transdev Germany. The eastbound train was a six-car unit with 333 seats (ET 325), scheduled to run from Munich to Rosenheim, while the westbound train was a three-car unit with 158 seats (ET 355), scheduled to run from Rosenheim to Holzkirchen. There were more than 150 passengers on board the two trains, considerably fewer than usual because of Carnival Holidays. The trains were equipped with a total of three train event recorders. The line and both trains were equipped with the Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung (PZB), a train protection system which was designed to reinforce line-side signalling and prevent drivers from accidentally passing signals at danger.
The eastbound and westbound trains were scheduled to pass each other at Kolbermoor railway station, with the westbound train () towards the direction of Munich timetabled to wait for five minutes for the eastbound train from Munich () to arrive. The westbound train departed Kolbermoor on schedule but the eastbound train was four minutes behind schedule. One train was travelling at and the other at .
Rescue operation
The rescue operation involved a total of approximately 700 emergency service workers, including 180 firefighters, 215 Bavarian State Police officers, 50 Federal Police officers, 30 federal civil protection employees of Technisches Hilfswerk, and 200 rescuers from the Bavarian Red Cross, including Water Rescue and Mountain Rescue units. A total of 11 helicopters took part in the rescue efforts. Air ambulances from both Germany and Austria were used to transport the injured to hospitals.
The site of the accident was difficult to reach because it lies between the Stuckholz forest and the canalised Mangfall river (). This made rescue work considerably more difficult because rescue workers had to be transported by boat and casualty extraction supported by air ambulance. Injured people were extracted by boat to the opposite bank of the river.
Recovery operation
On 9 February 2016, two breakdown cranes belonging to the DB Netze Emergency Technical department () were dispatched from Fulda and Leipzig to assist in recovery and removal of the two damaged trains. The crane from Fulda is capable of lifting 160 tonnes, and the second crane from Leipzig is capable of lifting 75 tonnes.
Reaction
German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt visited the site of the accident. He said it was a "horrifying sight". Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said that it was "difficult to comprehend" how the accident happened. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "dismayed and saddened" by the crash. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated: "My deepest sympathy goes to their families." Minister-President of Bavaria Horst Seehofer said "The whole of Bavaria has been shaken".
As a result of the accident, the carnival celebrations on Shrove Tuesday in Rosenheim, Bad Aibling and the surrounding area were cancelled. The traditional political debates on Ash Wednesday in Lower Bavaria were called off.