Train Conductor Killed in Brutal Fare Evasion Attack in Germany

A train conductor has died after being violently attacked by a fare evader during a ticket inspection in Germany, in an incident that has sent shockwaves through the country’s rail industry. The killing comes only days after another fatal transport-related attack, in which a woman was pushed under a subway train.

The assault took place on Tuesday evening on a Deutsche Bahn service near Kaiserslautern. The 36-year-old conductor was carrying out routine ticket checks when he encountered a passenger who was unable to produce a valid ticket. What began as a dispute rapidly escalated into extreme violence.

Local reports state that the suspect is a 26-year-old Greek national who is believed to have no fixed address in Germany. Witnesses said the conductor, identified locally as Serkan C, had been checking a group of four people aged between 20 and 30, including the alleged attacker, when the confrontation began.

According to accounts given to German media, an argument broke out after the man failed to show a ticket. He is said to have stood up and raised his fist, prompting Serkan to try to defuse the situation. When the conductor instructed the man to leave the train, he was allegedly set upon and beaten.

Passengers who witnessed the attack attempted to give first aid while emergency services were called. Serkan was taken to hospital, but he died from his injuries on Wednesday morning. Witnesses told Bild newspaper that he had been punched repeatedly in the head. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances and motive behind the killing.

Deutsche Bahn marked the loss with a minute’s silence on Wednesday afternoon. The conductor is believed to have left behind a wife and a child. Deutsche Bahn chief executive Evelyn Palla described the killing as a terrible excess of violence and said it marked a dark day for railway workers across Germany.

Image: Deutsche Bahn