Nationwide, the number of property damage to trains and rail company facilities has increased. Loud Federal Police By October, 17,829 crimes were reported in all federal states; in 2024 there were around 1,200 fewer during that period.
According to the Federal Police, the statistics do not only cover graffiti, but also all cases in which the “appearance” was changed without permission. According to statistics, train stations were most often affected.
The police reported the number of suspects in the current year as 18,812. The vast majority, i.e. 17,811, remained unrecognized. According to Deutsche Bahn (DB), the company’s own security forces catch more than 2,700 perpetrators in the act every year. A quarter of them are sprayers who are then handed over to the federal police on site.
The German railway speaks of around twelve million euros in damage caused by graffiti on its trains and facilities every year. “We are seeing an increasing trend when it comes to graffiti and vandalism this year,” said a railway spokeswoman. Exact figures should not be available until the new year. In 2024 there were around 32,000 cases of vandalism at DB.
Berlin has the most graffiti on trains
Trains and facilities in Berlin are the most frequently affected by graffiti nationwide. According to figures from the Federal Police, there were 1,983 such offenses in the capital from January to October, such as graffiti applied by sprayers. As in previous years, Berlin is leading the statistics. This year there were around 100 more cases compared to the same period last year.
The Federal Police listed Munich with 872 offenses, Hamburg with 515, Nuremberg with 244, Dresden with 241, Leipzig with 200 and Cologne with 194 as other priority cities for the current year up to October. Significantly fewer cases, 162, have been reported in Frankfurt am Main compared to the previous year.
The statistics refer to all railway companies. When looking at the data, it should be noted that the number of train stations and trains is larger in large cities than in smaller cities and therefore the likelihood of such crimes is higher.
Sprayers get into fatal accidents several times a year
The company writes on its website: “Millions of passengers don’t find graffiti cool at all, but rather feel harassed by it and affect their subjective sense of safety.” Therefore, graffiti would be removed as quickly as possible. Specially trained employees would have to painstakingly remove individual layers of paint layer by layer by hand.
According to Deutsche Bahn, sprayers will be prosecuted. The damage must be compensated in full. “You can claim damages from children aged seven and over for up to 30 years after the conviction,” writes the railway.
At the same time, sprayers are putting their lives in danger. According to the information, you risk falling under moving trains, for example. In Berlin and Hamburg there is also a risk of electric shock from S-Bahn conductor rails next to the track. “Sprayers have accidents like this several times a year – often with fatal consequences.”
