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Danger to life at Harburg train station: man crosses tracks for his train!
On November 20, 2025, a passenger crossed the tracks in Hamburg Harburg and endangered his life. The federal police warn of risks.
Danger to life at Harburg train station: man crosses tracks for his train!
On November 20, 2025, around 9:50 p.m., a risky incident occurred at Harburg train station that put the federal police on alert. A 62-year-old man, born in Switzerland, decided to cross platforms 5 and 4 to reach his correct platform. This behavior took place during regular operations, meaning trains could run at any time. An attentive Deutsche Bahn employee witnessed the dangerous action and immediately alerted the federal police. Thanks to his quick reaction, something worse was prevented because the man was held up by the Intercity Express that was ready to leave.
As it turned out, the violator was unaware of the risks involved in crossing the tracks. He was informed about the dangers by the federal police. After a brief police intervention, the 62-year-old was finally able to continue his journey to Berlin. Nevertheless, he is now facing administrative offense proceedings because he was stopped in the track area without permission. The Hamburg Federal Police is using this incident to urgently warn against careless behavior in the area of railway facilities.
Tasks and responsibilities of the Federal Police
The Federal Police has the important task of ensuring safety and order on railway facilities. This includes both train stations and railway tracks. As the Federal Police explains, the focus of their work is on averting dangers and law enforcement. This includes, among other things, combating vandalism and property crime as well as measures to prevent dangerous interference with rail traffic.
Targeted patrol activity is carried out particularly on trains where there is a risk of crime in order to increase people's feeling of security. The protection of travelers and employees has top priority.
Security in public spaces
Deutsche Bahn continues to be committed to safety. In collaboration with Deutsche Bahn, innovative security concepts for train stations are being developed. An example of this is the implementation of tests at the Berlin Südkreuz security station, where new measures are tested under real conditions.
The study “Safe Train Stations for All” from 2023, which was carried out in cooperation with the Camino Institute, brings important insights into social challenges in the station environment and formulates solutions for better coexistence. A focus here is also on the safety protection of employees, who complete regular de-escalation training in order to react prudently in critical situations.
In addition, experience with body cameras in trains is used. These are worn by train attendants on a voluntary basis and have already led to a reduction in critical situations in initial tests. The videos that are recorded are only available to the Federal Police, which enables legally compliant documentation of incidents.
The incident in Harburg is an impressive example of how important it is to raise awareness of the dangers in public transport. The Federal Police and Deutsche Bahn have their eyes and ears open and are doing everything they can to continually improve safety in rail traffic.