Human error could have been the cause of the collision between two S-Bahn trains on Monday in the Munich district.

The Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told journalists in the state parliament on Tuesday that the investigations were focused on this question.

"As things stand at present, there are no indications, no indications that it is a matter of technical failure." At the moment, it may be more important "that one of the two train drivers, the train driver, could have made a mistake".

The two occupied S-Bahn trains collided head-on on Monday afternoon on a single-track route near the Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn station.

A 24-year-old man died and 18 people were injured.

Six seriously injured were still in hospitals on Tuesday, including the two train drivers, a police spokesman said.

They are not yet able to be heard.

The Munich public prosecutor, state and federal police and the Federal Bureau for Railway Accident Investigation (BEU) are investigating the accident.

The tachographs of both railcars were secured and witnesses were heard.

Electronic fuse has struck

According to information from railway circles, the accident route is equipped with an electronic safety device.

The technology monitors train traffic and can brake trains automatically in an emergency.

According to information from the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", the system struck and braked at least one train.

Minister Herrmann said that more modern route monitoring is already being used on long-distance routes, which constantly determines where a train is and what the distance to the next train is.

The S-Bahn from Munich towards Wolfratshausen was about ten minutes too late, said federal police spokesman Wolfgang Hauner.

Whether there is a connection with the accident is completely open.

Residents had reported that a train had been at the station for a comparatively long time.

Deutsche Bahn announced that it was supporting the investigative work of the responsible authorities.

The scene of the accident was photographed from the air with drones - for the investigation, but also to prepare for the rescue.

This will not begin before Wednesday, said a police spokesman.

The railway line will remain closed until further notice, as will the federal road that passes below the accident site.

As it was said, the statics of the railway embankment must also be checked.

The railway set up a replacement service with shuttle buses and taxis.

A total of 95 passengers on the trains

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and other politicians expressed their condolences to the victims' families.

"We mourn as the state government and I personally mourn with the relatives," said Söder after a cabinet meeting in Munich.

He prays for a speedy recovery for those injured.

Söder also thanked the around 800 full-time and volunteer helpers.

The two S-Bahn trains collided on Monday with a total of 95 passengers at around 4:35 p.m. during rush hour.

Several parts of the train jumped off the tracks.

Police, fire brigade, rescue services and technical aid organization were in action.

The mayor of Schäftlarn, Christian Fürst (CSU), was deeply concerned.

The accident left him speechless.

He thanks the numerous rescue workers who would have helped as quickly as possible.

In August last year, two S-Bahn trains converged on the same route near Icking, but were able to avoid a collision at the last second.

In February 2016, two trains on the Bavarian Oberlandbahn collided in Bad Aibling, Upper Bavaria, killing twelve people.

The cause of the accident was human error: a dispatcher had played with his cell phone and given the wrong signals.

He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

More fully automatic S-Bahn planned

According to the Pro-Rail Alliance, the rail network in Germany is 38,400 kilometers long, “about half of which is single track”.

However, the risk of a fatal accident is 57 times lower than in a car, and the risk of a serious injury is 150 times lower.

In 2020, the Federal Railway Authority reported only three collisions between rail vehicles in Germany, with around 40,000 train journeys a day.

“Unlike on the road, trains do not run on sight.

The train movement is also monitored by the operations center on single-track routes,” said the Pro-Rail Alliance.

If train drivers drive too fast or ignore signals, automatic emergency braking occurs.

In the event of disruptions, a train can run over a stop signal on the instructions of the dispatcher.

Deutsche Bahn and the electronics company Siemens are planning to have more and more S-Bahn trains run fully automatically with digital control - initially in Hamburg, later also in other networks in Germany.

However, extensions are often difficult due to the long planning phases and lack of space in conurbations.