After the fatal attack on a train attendant in Rhineland-Palatinate, railway works councils have called for consequences. In an open letter from the general works council of the railway subsidiary DB Fernverkehr CEO Evelyn Palla and the company’s board of directors, about whom the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” first reported on Tuesday, are particularly demanding “binding minimum occupancy” on trains.
A “security summit” on the topic is planned for Friday in Berlin, which will also be attended Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) wants to take part. He was called up after a 36-year-old train attendant was killed on a regional express in Rhineland-Palatinate a week ago Man without a valid ticket was attacked with blows. Railway employee Serkan Çalar lost consciousness and later died in a clinic. The suspected perpetrator, a 26-year-old Greek passenger, is in custody. The Zweibrücken public prosecutor’s office is investigating him for manslaughter.
According to a “Spiegel” report, the suspected perpetrator had already become conspicuous a few hours before the fatal attack on the train conductor. Federal police took him out of a TGV train coming from France in Kaiserslautern at 11:50 a.m. because he had kicked a door on the train, the magazine reports. Train attendants then alerted the authorities. Since the door remained undamaged and the man had a ticket, the incident obviously had no criminal consequences for him.
The staff on trains has been reduced
“This incident is not an isolated, unforeseeable individual event. Attacks, threats and violence against employees in train escort services have been known for years,” says the works councils’ letter. The railway board has also repeatedly discussed safety problems. However, nothing has improved, the letter criticizes.
The works councils are primarily against the 2024 deadline Railway board presented concept, according to which, as a rule, only two people are responsible for an ICE train – a train boss and a train attendant (1:1). There used to be three to five employees here. This is just one of many Savings measures by Deutsche Bahn in recent years.
“On some days there are even 1:0 staffings where employees are effectively solely responsible for operations, service, control and dealing with conflict situations,” the letter now states. “These forms of de facto working alone are unacceptable given the known violent situation,” the works councils are urging changes.
Body cameras “widespread” and around the clock
The signatories demand that such individual appointments should generally be excluded. These meant an “unacceptable risk to the life and health” of those affected. At least one train boss and two train attendants are necessary on long-distance trains. In addition, the presence of security forces would have to be significantly increased. In addition, body cameras should be made available “widespread and at all times” and data protection-compliant camera surveillance should be implemented on the trains.
The demands are “of course understandable,” said a spokesman for the GDL railway union when asked by AFP. “We naturally understand and support the works councils in their concerns and urgency,” he added. However, the spokesman pointed out that it was an initiative of the works councils involved, not the GDL leadership.
In long-distance transport, Deutsche Bahn is responsible for the staffing concept of its trains. In regional transport, however, this is determined by the states or their authorities – usually these are the regional transport associations.