Osnabrück – – September 12, 2026 -- German passenger association Pro Bahn is calling for mandatory surveillance cameras in the door and vestibule areas of long-distance trains following a dangerous incident in Bavaria where a train door was opened at 200 km/h, forcing an emergency stop.
Pro Bahn chairman says door zones are where dangerous interventions occur
"Exactly this area, the entrance with doors and vestibule, is the spot where such interventions happen, and there a camera creates clarity without filming passengers in the carriage," Pro Bahn federal chairman Lukas Iffländer told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung. He noted that after the Bavaria incident, investigators could not identify who opened the door.
Association rejects blanket surveillance of seating compartments
Pro Bahn explicitly opposes camera coverage across entire train interiors, arguing that long-distance rail carries a higher expectation of privacy than local transit. Iffländer said passengers in long-distance trains sit for hours working, sleeping, eating and holding conversations, making an ICE compartment more akin to a lounge than a transit stop -- a distinction that does not justify continuous monitoring of seating areas.
Group urges camera mandates in new train tenders and fleet modernization programs
Pro Bahn wants door-area cameras written into procurement specifications for new long-distance trains and into modernization programs for existing fleets, stating the equipment could be installed without special additional effort. The association proposes that footage be stored in a rolling buffer for only a few days without live monitoring, and handed to investigative authorities solely when a concrete incident occurs.