Two trains crashed into each other just outside the southern German town Aichach late Monday, killing at least two people, police said.

Rail operator Deutsche Bahn said a commuter train hit a freight service, which was stationary, on a single stretch of rail between Ingolstadt and Augsburg at around 9.20 p.m. local time (1920 UTC).

Read more: Germany opens inquiry after train collision injures dozens

Some 14 passengers were wounded.

"There are some seriously injured and others only lightly," a Deutsche Bahn spokesman told the German dpa press agency.

No limits: World's fastest trains A German world record By hitting 406 kilometers per hour (252 miles per hour), the German Intercity-Express (ICE) was the fastest train in the world. More than 11,000 horsepower was needed in order for the ICE to reach this speed between the cities of Würzburg and Fulda! But this was 30 years ago and a lot has happened in the meantime — with much of the action in Asia.

No limits: World's fastest trains France takes the lead But the German speed dream was short-lived. Just two years later, a French Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) hit the 515-kilometers-per-hour mark and "pulverized" the German record, as France's state railway still boasts today. In 2007, the latest version, the AGV, reached 574 kilometers per hour. As a rule though, the trains travel at a maximum of 320 kilometers per hour.

No limits: World's fastest trains The one with the nose The Japanese weren't just standing by the wayside, but developed one of the most iconic trains in the world, the Shinkansen, better known as the bullet train. In normal operation they travel a maximum of 320 kilometers per hour — similar to the French AGV. Incidentally the long nose is not just for looks but there to help eliminate the problem of "tunnel boom" when entering tunnels at high speeds.

No limits: World's fastest trains China playing catch-up But the Chinese also want a piece of the record pie. And by now Chinese trains are making it close to the 500-kilometers-per-hour mark. China's new express train Fuxing Hao ("Renaissance") travels up to 350 kilometers per hour between Shanghai and Beijing. It only takes four and a half hours for the 1,300-kilometer journey. In a few years developers want to average 400 kilometers per hour.

No limits: World's fastest trains Germany puts on the brakes In 1980, Germans built a test track for a magnetic-levitation or maglev train. This marvel of engineering was driven, guided and held in suspension by powerful electromagnetic forces. During trial runs on a 30-kilometer test track, the train reached speeds of up to 450 kilometers per hour. Billions were invested, but in 2011 the government stopped funding the project.

No limits: World's fastest trains Fast and up in the air In Germany the magnetic-levitation era was over. But the Chinese kept at it. The Shanghai Maglev Train or Shanghai Transrapid is currently the world's fastest commercial train in operation. Magnetic levitation technology allows it to reach an operating speed of 430 kilometers per hour. The 30.5-kilometer journey from busy Shanghai to the airport now takes just eight minutes.

No limits: World's fastest trains A bee that doesn't fly Shanghai is not alone. South Korea also has a new maglev train called the Ecobee. This urban line connects Incheon Airport with Yongyu which is 6 kilometers away. Opened in 2016, the government initiated this ambitious project in 2006 to show off its range of magnetic technologies; though this unmanned train can only travel at a speed of around 80 kilometers per hour.

No limits: World's fastest trains Unlimited possibilities? Not far behind, in Japan a maglev train is set to connect Tokyo with Nagoya by 2027. The train will float 10 centimeters (4 inches) above the tracks and be powered by electrically charged magnets. But this train will be much faster than its Korean cousin. The Japanese journey is set to take only 40 minutes, instead of the 90 minutes with the bullet train today.

No limits: World's fastest trains More SciFi than choo-choo An idea for a completely new high-speed transport system comes from Elon Musk, the founder of the space company SpaceX and the car maker Tesla. In his "Hyperloop" passengers are electrically driven in capsules at speeds of around 1,225 kilometers per hour in vacuum tubes. The first tests are running in California, but France is getting on the Hyperloop bandwagon too by building its own test track. Author: Insa Wrede (tr)



The two fatalities have been identified as the 37-year-old driver of the commuter train and a 73-year-old female passenger. Despite the head-on colliision, the driver of the freight train suffered no visible injuries.

The cause of the collision was not immediatelly clear. Neither train appeared to have derailed leading up to it.

Rail traffic controller investigated

Later on Tuesday, authorities arrested the 24-year-old traffic controller on duty during the time of the crash on suspicion of negligence.

The man is suspected of negligent homicide, but the police were not able to determine whether or not he was distracted or made a mistake.

"It's much too soon to say that," police spokesman Markus Trieb told the press.

Officials said they were trying to establish how fast the trains were traveling when they crashed and whether the signal lights were functioning properly. A preliminary check showed no signs of malfunction, authorities said.

Germany's national rail company Deutsche Bahn employs over 12,000 traffic controlers in charge of directing some 40,000 trains every day.

The Aichach incident comes two years after a head-on train crash in near the Bavarian town of Bad Aibling which killed 12. In that case, the rail traffic controller was jailed for three-and-a half-years for negligence leading up to the crash.

Aichach station shuttered, route suspended

The central station in Aichach remained cordoned off by early Tuesday. However, regional trains crossing Bavaria would still continue to run through the town.

The route between the cities of Ingolstadt and Augsburg near Aichach was also to remain closed until at least Wednesday.

Read more: German high-speed train breaks down on return from Berlin-Munich maiden voyage

Police also said around 15 passengers in the commuter train left the scene after the incident. The officials called on them to contact the police and share their accounts.

A day of train crashes

The incident in Aichach was the second of two serious train crashes the southern German state of Bavaria saw on Monday. Earlier, a train hit a car at a level crossing without barriers in the town Seeshaupt, on Lake Starnberg.

The impact saw the train drag the car for several hundred meters. Both people in the vehicle were seriously injured but survived the accident. A further person on the train was also injured.

Across the border in the Austrian state of Styria, a passenger train collided with a vehicle at a crossing in the early hours of Tuesday. According to initial reports, several people were injured in that incident.

dm, nm/se (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Two killed and 14 injured as trains collide in Germany in Aichach

Two people have been killed and 14 others were injured after a cargo train and a passenger train collided in Aichach, 50 kn west oh Munich in southern Germany on Monday.

The deceased persons have been identified as the driver of the passenger train and a female passenger. Emergency services attended the train collision spot.

The passenger train hit the stationary cargo train on May 7 in southern Germany. One of the injured person is in serious condition. The passenger train was travelling from Augsburg to Ingolstadt when it hit the cargo train near a station in Aichach town.

The driver of the cargo train was not injured and the authorities are investigating the reason for the collision.</s>At least two people have died and 14 are injured after a horror train crash in Germany.

A freight train and a passenger train collided in the Bavarian town of Aichach at around 9.15pm on Monday.

The two dead include a train driver and a passenger.

Three of those injured suffered serious injuries, Der Spiegel reports.

The cause of the crash is not known.

Neither train derailed but pictures from the scene showed severe damage to carriages.

Police said all victims have now been taken to hospital from the scene.

Investigators are now scouring the wrecked trains for evidence.</s>At least two people were killed and several others were hurt when two trains collided late Monday in Germany, the national rail company said.

The Deutsche Bahn network operator said that a commuter service hit a freight train between Ingolstadt and Augsburg in Germany’s southern Bavaria region.

“There are some seriously injured and others only lightly,” a Deutsche Bahn spokesman told the German DPA press agency.

German police said that a total of 14 people were hurt.

The company did not immediately provide additional details into the possible causes of the collision. – AFP</s>BERLIN — Authorities say two people have died and 14 have been injured after a passenger train hit a stationary cargo train in southern Germany late Monday.

Police said those killed were the driver of the passenger train and a female passenger. One of the injured is in a serious condition.

Markus Trieb, a spokesman for northern Swabia police, said Tuesday that the passenger train was traveling from Augsburg to Ingolstadt when it hit the cargo train near a station in the town of Aichach.

He said the driver of the cargo train was uninjured. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

In a separate incident in Bavaria, two people were killed Monday when a train hit their car at a crossing near Lake Starnberg.</s>A goods train and a passenger train collided in southern Germany on Monday, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said, and local media reported two people were killed.

[BERLIN] A goods train and a passenger train collided in southern Germany on Monday, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said, and local media reported two people were killed.

Deutsche Bahn said in a statement on its website the collision took place at around 9.20pm local time (1920 GMT) near the Aichach station on the line between Ingolstadt and Augsburg in Bavaria.

Deutsche Bahn and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung both reported police as saying said two people were killed and several injured.</s>Berlin, May 8 (IANS) At least two people have been killed in a collision between a passenger and a freight train in Germany.

According to German railway company Deutsche Bahn, the accident occurred when the regional passenger train crashed head-on into the standing freight train near Aichach railway station in Bavaria on Monday night, Xinhua news agency reported.

The train conductor and one passenger were killed and 14 others were injured in the collision. The cause of the accident and the speed at which the passenger train was travelling were still unknown on Tuesday.

The night-time collision was the second fatal train accident to occur in Bavaria on Monday. Earlier in the day, a car was hit by a train on a railway crossing and dragged along the rails for hundreds of metres. The driver and a passenger in the car both died in the accident.</s>BERLIN (Reuters) - A goods train and a passenger train collided in southern Germany on Monday, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said, and local media reported two people were killed.

Deutsche Bahn said in a statement on its website the collision took place at around 9.20 p.m. local time (1920 GMT) near the Aichach station on the line between Ingolstadt and Augsburg in Bavaria.

Deutsche Bahn and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung both reported police as saying said two people were killed and several injured.</s>Deutsche Bahn said in a statement on its website the collision took place at around 9.20 p.m. local time (1920 GMT) near the Aichach station on the line between Ingolstadt and Augsburg in Bavaria.

Deutsche Bahn and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung both reported police as saying said two people were killed and several injured.</s>Two people have been taken to hospital following a collision involving a car and an HGV lorry outside Linlithgow.

Emergency services rushed to the scene of the incident on the A904 at the Champany Junction near Bo’ness at around 3:40pm this afternoon.

It is understood the collision involved a car and an HGV lorry.

Two people have been taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Officers are currently still on the scene conducting collision investigations and the road is expected to be closed for some time.

Local access to Blackness is still available.

In a statement, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said three fire engines and a heavy rescue unit attended the incident.

Firefighters left the scene at 4:50pm after ensuring the area was made safe.

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A collision of two trains near Aichach in Germany leaves two people dead and at least 14 injured.