Germany's trains grind to a halt after digital radio system fails nationwide

Deutsche Bahn's entire network came to a standstill on the evening of 23 June 2026. A complete failure of its digital GSM-R radio system disrupted train operations across Germany. Passengers found themselves stranded as communication between trains and control centres broke down. The outage began at around 10:30 PM and lasted for over two hours, ending at approximately 12:50 AM. A routine replacement of a technical component triggered the failure. GSM-R, a secure digital radio system, is critical for coordinating train movements, rerouting, and emergency communication.

The network is operated by DB InfraGO and is not accessible to the public. Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO, later issued an apology for the widespread disruption caused to passengers.

GSM-R is set to be replaced by the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS), a 5G-based standard. Real-world testing of FRMCS is already taking place in Germany, with a full transition planned by 2035. The incident highlighted the network’s reliance on GSM-R for safe and efficient operations. Deutsche Bahn continues to work on modernising its communication systems to prevent future outages. The gradual rollout of FRMCS aims to improve reliability in the long term.