Vandalism Costs German Rail €34 Million in Damages Last Year
Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Deutsche Bahn incurred €34 million in damages due to vandalism last year, with infrastructure suffering the most significant losses.
- Graffiti removal cost €3.7 million, while the theft of non-ferrous metals amounted to €5.5 million.
- The company has implemented mobile craft teams and increased cleaning efforts to combat vandalism and improve station cleanliness.
Vandalism caused damages totaling €34 million for Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) last year, with infrastructure bearing the brunt of the financial impact. Approximately €19.6 million of these damages were attributed to infrastructure, according to a response from the Federal Ministry of Transport to a query from the AfD parliamentary group.
Registered were 657 graffiti offenses as well as 220 property damages on or in vehicles.
The costs associated with vandalism included €5.5 million for the theft of non-ferrous metals and €3.7 million for the removal of graffiti from railway facilities. An additional €6.8 million was recorded under the general category of vandalism. For the long-distance transport division, the cost of repairing vandalism damage was around €2.25 million. The Ministry reported 657 incidents of graffiti and 220 cases of property damage on or within trains, with graffiti primarily found on the exterior surfaces of trains. Property damage included scratching of windows, application of stickers, and damage to interior fittings like seats.
In regional transport, the costs for repairing vandalism damage amounted to approximately €12 million, with graffiti removal being the largest component. Deutsche Bahn has recently prioritized improving cleanliness, particularly at its stations. As part of this effort, the company has deployed over 40 mobile craft teams tasked with addressing issues like graffiti removal.
The majority of the graffiti was sprayed on the exterior surfaces of the trains.
Furthermore, at the beginning of the year, a comprehensive spring cleaning initiative was undertaken at significantly more stations than in previous years. These measures aim to combat the persistent problem of vandalism and enhance the overall passenger experience by ensuring cleaner and more well-maintained facilities.
Property damages include in particular scratching on window panes, stickers as well as damage to the interior fittings, for example on seats.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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