Serious tram accident: driver seriously injured, traffic in Munich is paralyzed!

Serious tram accident: driver seriously injured, traffic in Munich is paralyzed!

On the evening of October 23, 2025, there was a serious accident in Munich-Schwabing that startled the residents of the district. At around 8:50 p.m., tram line 23 derailed in front of the “Schwabinger Tor” stop and crashed into parts of the structure, which caused significant damage to the infrastructure. This information has Mercury published.

In the worries of those traveling on the tram, the driver of the tram was seriously injured. He had to be taken to hospital immediately. Three passengers escaped with less serious injuries and received outpatient treatment on site. The Wasserkopf residents of Leopoldstrasse had to prepare for a closure and the associated traffic delays while rescue work was underway.

Public transport severely affected

The Munich Transport Company (MVG) provided information about the diversions and cancellations caused by the incident. Line 23 will not be able to run for the time being, while line 12 will only run between Romanplatz and Parzivalplatz and will then be rerouted from Parzivalplatz to the Münchner Freiheit stop. The Schwabing Nord, Domagkstraße, Anni-Albers-Straße, Am Münchner Tor and Schwabinger Tor stops are canceled in both directions. Replacement traffic is offered, but with limited capacity and sometimes stops on the right side of the road.

The traffic police have started investigating the cause of the accident. Fortunately, external influences have already been ruled out, but the exact cause remains unclear.

A worrying trend

Such incidents are becoming more frequent in Munich and shed light on a worrying trend in road safety. In 2024, there were around 2.5 million road traffic accidents in Germany, with the number of accidents causing property damage increasing while the number of accidents causing personal injury remained constant. Statistics show that the most common causes of traffic accidents are insufficient distance and inadequate speed. In addition, driving under the influence of alcohol remains a serious problem. This is a challenge for the authorities that contributes to achieving the goal of “Vision Zero” – i.e. no traffic deaths by 2050 Statista reported.

These issues are not only locally important, but also affect society as a whole. Both the city administration and the MVG must now show that they have a good hand for passenger safety and proactively improve the infrastructure. This is the only way the dream of a safe transport infrastructure can become reality.

The incident at Schwabinger Tor is a stark reminder to all road users that safety should always come first. We wish those injured a speedy and full recovery.