Serious accident at the level crossing in Braunschweig: tracks closed until Wednesday!

Serious accident at the level crossing in Braunschweig: tracks closed until Wednesday!

On June 17, 2025, there was an unfortunate accident between a train and a car at an unguarded level crossing in Braunschweig-Bienrode. The 27-year-old driver overlooked a red light signal and collided with the regional train that was on the way from Braunschweig to Uelzen. Fortunately, around 50 passengers on the train were uninjured, but the driver had to be taken to hospital with minor injuries and was freed from her vehicle by the fire department. The route is expected to remain closed to all passenger trains on the RB47 line between Braunschweig and Gifhorn until Wednesday, while buses head to the Rötgesbüttel, Meine and Braunschweig-Gliesmarode stops.

How NDR reported, this is the fourth serious incident at this same level crossing in the last three years. A spokesman for the railway operator Erixx is calling for an improvement in security measures at the crossing, in particular the installation of barriers and modern technology at Braunschweig-Gliesmarode station. The district mayor Sonja Lerche (SPD) supports this demand and is pushing for the situation to be defused.

The problem of unsecured railway crossings

The issue of level crossings is being viewed increasingly critically. According to information from Mirror Deutsche Bahn plans to reduce the number of unsecured level crossings in order to minimize the risk of accidents. These crossings are often the last weak point in the transport system, especially since rail vehicles cannot avoid them and have long braking distances.

In 2022, there were around 13,624 level crossings in the Deutsche Bahn AG network in Germany, with over 70% being technically secured. The crossings, which are not technically secured, are only protected by visual inspections and acoustic warning signals, which represents a significant risk. In order to further increase security, DB AG spent around 170 million euros last year on securing these crossings. According to a research by Researchinformationsystem.de The number of accidents at level intersections has been reduced in recent years, but many incidents can be attributed to the misconduct of road users.

The repeated incidents in Braunschweig-Bienrode illustrate the need for action to secure level crossings. Better protection could be achieved through technical measures and through extensive awareness-raising among drivers. This accident is a wake-up call for everyone involved to stop putting off safety at crossings.