Heat damage and software glitch disrupt German rail services

Extreme temperatures in late June 2026 melted bitumen on tram tracks in Nuremberg, forcing the city’s VAG to halt all street‑car services and deploy replacement buses. The VAG spokesperson said, "Es wird wahrscheinlich noch länger dauern," and estimated damage costs in the hundreds of thousands of euros. Similar heat‑related track deformations caused suspensions on several Deutsche Bahn routes in Bavaria, including lines between Zwiesel and Bodenmais and between Cham and Bad Kötzting. In response, Deutsche Bahn introduced a special heat‑related fare‑cancellation rule valid until 30 June.

Separately, on 23 June a rare software error during scheduled maintenance of the GSM‑R train‑control system disabled the automatic backup, halting rail communications for about 90 minutes. DB InfraGO’s chief Philipp Nagl apologised, stating, "Wir bedauern den Vorfall" and outlined immediate measures such as suspending further component swaps and restricting night‑time work to prevent recurrence. The incident highlighted the railway’s reliance on digital infrastructure and prompted both short‑term operational fixes and longer‑term modernization plans.