How could an ICE train door open at 200 kph?

An ICE train traveling at about 200 kilometers per hour through Lower Franconia stopped abruptly Monday evening after a carriage door opened. The 238 passengers and eight railway employees then waited more than five hours before the train continued to the nearby station at Lohr am Main.

Federal police quickly ruled out a technical failure at Deutsche Bahn. A police spokesman told Der Spiegel that someone had activated the door’s emergency release. The system is designed to allow a door to open during a journey, but only in an emergency. In this case, the spokesman said, there had been “no situation” in which using it was necessary.

The regular red and green door buttons remain locked while the train is moving and must be released by the driver. The emergency mechanism sits behind a Plexiglas cover on the wall, with instructions saying it should be used only when there is a danger to life or health, such as a fire. The cover on the affected ICE had been damaged, apparently leaving the button accessible.

Train manager Yannick Zachmann said air pressure normally prevents the doors from being pushed open. Activating the emergency button releases that pressure, but a lever must also be pressed before the door can be forced open. At 200 kph, however, air could have pushed the door panels apart after the button was pressed alone. It remains unclear who activated the mechanism. Federal police questioned numerous passengers, recorded the personal details of about 120 people seated in the rear section, and searched the track for people or luggage. The investigation continues.

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No situation in which that was necessary.