A train conductor died after he was reportedly viciously attacked by a passenger without a ticket on a German regional service.
According to police reports, the state railways employee was checking passengers’ tickets yesterday near the town of Landstuhl on a regional train travelling between Kaiserslautern and Saarbrücken in western Germany.
Attacks on railway personnel are on the rise in Germany. According to the Federal Interior Ministry between January and October 2024 there were more than 1,500 bodily attacks on DB staff, including 324 cases of grievous bodily harm – an equivalent of five violent attacks per day.
The alleged assailant in the Landstuhl attack, reportedly a 26-year-old Greek national without residence in Germany, could not provide a ticket. When the conductor told him to leave the train, the man suddenly started attacking him, punching him repeatedly in the head until he collapsed.
The conductor had been acting in a de-escalatory manner and kept his distance from the fare dodger, according to witnesses.
Police and emergency services reached the train within 10 minutes and started resuscitation measures. The assailant was taken into custody.
Today, the prosecutor’s office at Zweibrücken (Rhineland) announced that the conductor had died in the early morning in a nearby hospital and that an inquest had been ordered.
According to reports by newspaper Bild today, the deceased conductor – named as Serkan C – leaves behind a wife and children.
The vicious attack has shocked Germany.
State railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced that it would hold a minute of silence today at 3pm in honour of Serkan C, adding: “We call on all colleagues, all railway workers and all passengers to take part. We are deeply saddened, moved and shocked. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.” Railway operations would continue regularly, DB added.
DB CEO Evelyn Palla said: “I am stunned and saddened by this tragic death. My deepest sympathy goes out to Serkan C’s family, friends and colleagues.
“All of us at DB strongly condemn this terrible act of violence and the completely senseless death of our colleague. We must all ask ourselves why such outbreaks of violence occur time and time again.
“Today is a dark day for all railway workers in the country. We at Deutsche Bahn are in mourning,” Palla said.
