Wild strangler attack on the train: Conductor in Grieskirchen injured!

Wild strangler attack on the train: Conductor in Grieskirchen injured!

On April 21, 2025, a violent incident occurred at Grieskirchen-Gallspach train station, Upper Austria, in which a 23-year-old train attendant from Wels was attacked during a routine ticket check. The incident occurred around 8:25 a.m. when the train conductor tried to check a valid ticket that the unknown perpetrator was unable to produce. After paying an additional fare with an ATM card, the situation escalated significantly.

After arriving at the train station, the perpetrator grabbed the train conductor by the neck, choked him and gave him a headbutt. The attack resulted in unspecified injuries to the train attendant, who was then taken to Wels Hospital. The perpetrator fled in an unknown direction and the police immediately launched a search, which has so far been unsuccessful. The police are asking the public for information and have provided the telephone number 059133 / 4230 to help clarify the incident. The suspect is described as a man with black hair and dark skin, wearing a brown jacket.

Context of violence against railway staff

This attack on the train conductor is part of a worrying trend regarding rail safety. According to reports from Time More physical injuries were registered in train stations in Germany in the first ten months of 2024 than in the entire previous year. The number of reported physical injuries rose to around 10,600 cases. In particular, there were 2,661 attacks on trains on the open route by the end of October, which is almost the same number of incidents in the entire previous year.

The situation has led to Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the federal police taking increased security measures. Around 20 million travelers visit the 5,700 train stations in Germany every day, and to enable these people to travel safely, around 6,000 federal police officers and 4,500 DB security guards are on duty around the clock. Despite these measures, the threshold for violence remains low, raising concerns about safety on public transport.

With regard to the general security situation in public transport, DB has invested significantly in security infrastructure in recent years. By the end of 2024, the number of video cameras in train stations is to be increased to a total of 11,000 and over 50,000 cameras are to be installed in regional and S-Bahn trains. These security measures are part of a comprehensive program that invests more than 200 million euros annually in improving security.

The tragic events in Grieskirchen show how important such measures are to protect staff and passengers on trains and stations. Recent incidents highlight the need for increased prevention and ongoing monitoring to prevent future attacks. The events of April 21st are another alarm call to raise awareness of rail safety.

For further details about these incidents and the security measures in Austria, please visit Upper Austrian news.