User talk:Its snowing in East Asia/Archive saved rail accident pages

This page is a resiprical for deleted rail crashes, which were in my and others' view notable, but wre deleted by the self styled 'notabilaty patrol'.

Over view

A deleater said- " I will remove some less notable or unsourced events from the list and put them here. Feelfree to discuss. I have rough criteria in mind, but typing them would be too long. Circeus 8:27, March 16, 2009 (UTC) The years are missing from the copied elements. "!

Another deleater said- " Remove unsourced events - writing "According to" is NOT an actual reference. User:CalendarWatcher (talk | contribs) ".

Opposing editer tryed to save some and said- " Reinstated Langenweddingen level crossing disaster (now has article). GrahamHardy (talk) 21:59, 9 July 2010 (UTC) "!

And yet another said- " Could someone take a look at this page? I seem to be seeing a lot of gibberish. Jusdafax 16:15, 18 November 2009 (UTC) "!

Oh, yeh?! There safe hear chaps! I agree Josh's death in 2010 was trivial on a global basis as was that guy who fell off the Iraqi train in the late 1990's, but the Tamworth triangle, that Macedonian one from the early 2000's and may others wern't. I did a coupel of the 1990's and 2000's Indian and Indonisian crashes as an I.P. about 3 years ago--Its snowing in East Asia (talk) 15:03, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

1850's

• April 23, 1853 – Rancocas Creek, New Jersey: Engineer of Camden & Amboy's 2 p.m. train out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania misses stop signals and runs his train off of an open drawspan at Rancocas Creek. Fortunately, there are no fatalities.

• May 9, 1853 – Secaucus, New Jersey, United States: A Paterson and Hudson River Railroad emigrant train has a cornfield meet with an Erie Railroad express in Hackensack Meadow near Secaucus, killing two brakemen, but no passengers.

• December 1853 – Secaucus, New Jersey, United States: The same two trains that crashed on May 9, 1853, a Paterson and Hudson River Railroad emigrant train and an Erie Railroad express, collide again, within one mile (1.6 km) of last spring's wreck site near Secaucus. A brakeman and one passenger die, 24 others are injured.

1910's

• 1911 – Port Glasgow, Scotland: Local man John Sanderson is run over by a goods train.

1920's

• December 6, 1927 – Augusta Township, Ontario: A 63 year old farmer named James Patterson was "run over by train and mangled" according to a death certificate filed in Grenville, Augusta.

• 1928 – Lindfield train disaster, Sydney, Australia: collision when train speeds after stop-and-proceed-at-red signal.

1930's

• April 13, 1939 – When a standing passenger train, caused by repair of air blake, following head-on collision with another passenger train, approaching to La Llave railroad station, Guadalajara-Laredo Line, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Veracruz, Mexico, which killed 32 with injured 50 people.

• December 30, 1939 – A twelve cars of Sicilian Express collision with another nine cars of Reggio Calabria local train, and both passenger train has derailed with killed 40, injured 150 people in railroad station of Torre Annunziata, Campania, Italy. In an incident caused by a track of switch point has icy condition by heavy snow.

1940's

• September 3, 1944, – Koya, Wakayama, Japan: Two cars of Gokurakubashi-Nanba commuter train derailed, approaching to curve and caught fire in Nankai Koya Line, at least seventy-one people are killed and injuring 138.

• December 11, 1944, – According to some of Japanese source report, a passenger train with freight cars, carrying a dynamite weapon, where explode in Haebaru, Okinawa, Japan. This resulting to death number of at least 220 people.

• November 11, 1946, – A freight express train plowed into standing a six-cars of local passenger train, during dense fog, in SNCF Paris-Strasburg line, Revigny-sur-Ornain railroad station, Lorraine, France, which killed 35 with injured 80 people.

• April 16, 1947, – Ikoma Tunnel, Japan: A three car of Kintetsu Nara-Uehonmachi local train caught fire, at least twenty-eight people dead and fifty-eight are injured.

• February 17, 1948, – A Lille-Douai commuter train collision with a freight train in Thumeries railroad station, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, which killed 24 with injured 50 people. A station operator master Jacques Pofour arrested on suspiction of human error, two days ago.

• September 14, 1948 – Cheongwon, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea: A Busan-Seoul passenger train rear of bump into another Mokpo-Seoul passenger train, Gyeongbu Line, Bugang-Maepo, killing at least 40 and injuring at least 140, most passenger of U.S Army soilders.

• April 28, 1949, – One passenger train collision with a rear of bump into another passenger train, and then, third passenger train smash into two trains, outside of Orland railroad station, Natic township, Gauteng, South Africa, and killed 74 with injured 90 people.

• October 11, 1949, – A Preon terminal (present day of Victoria of Buenos Aires)-Tigre passenger train head-on collision with a freight train, Bartolone Mitre Line, central Buenos Aires, Argentina, which killed 25 with injured 100 people.

• February 16, 1949, – Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain: A Madrid-Barcelona Express train derailed between La Nueva-Morade Ebro, killing twenty-nine people and injuring fourty.

1950's

• March 18, 1950 – Ashton, Ontario, Canada: Wind blows smoke and freshly fallen snow to obscure the headlight on a Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train doing switching maneuvers at Ashton; the apparently blinking light is misinterpreted as a clear signal by the engineer of an opposing train who throttles up and runs into passenger cars that were still standing on the mainline.

• April 6, 1950 – A local passenger train plunged into Indios River at Tangua, outskirt of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in an incident caused by heavy rain with flood, killing at least 108.

• / August 27, 1950 – Penmaenmawr, Caernarfonshire, Wales. The Irish Mail train, en-route from the port of Holyhead, crashed into another engine killing six passengers. A human signalling error was to blame.

• September 11, 1950 – Coshocton, Ohio, United States: The Spirit of Saint Louis runs a red light and rear-ends a stopped troop train in heaving fog carrying the 109th Infantry Regiment from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, killing 33. The engineer of the Spirit of Saint Louis is to blame for excessive speed.

• November 21, 1950 – Canoe River, British Columbia, Canada: A Canadian National Railway train carrying Korea-bound troops is given incorrect orders and collides with a passenger train, killing 21, including 17 soldiers.

• December 21, 1950 – Podivín, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic): A passenger train collided with a bus at level crossing. 34 killed, 56 injured.

• May 20, 1952 – Rajasthan, India: A passenger train head-on collided with a freight train between Paiona-Bikaner, at least fourty-five people confirmed dead and thirty-five people are injured.

• January 30, 1954 – A Cairo-Alexandria express train smash into a crowd of platform in Kafr az Zayyat railroad station, following stampede, caused by many local residents cheering extra train, carrying former Egyptian President of Mohammed Naguib in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt, which killed at least 42 with injured many more.

• February 1, 1954 – A passenger train, carrying South Korean soldiers in Byeongjeon-Seryu, Gyeongbu Line, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, killing at least 40 people.

• September 2, 1954 – Fabrica, Negros Occidental, Philippines: A 16 cars of empty flat train, carrying workers of Insular Lumber Company, careen down a mountain side in Negros Island. At least 82 people confirmed dead, which occured in worst train accident in Filipino history.

• September 27, 1954 – Aleru, Andra Pradesh, India: A eight cars of Hyderabad-Kazipet express, carrying 600 people onboard plunge into icy river with flood condition, approaching railroad station, killing at least 137 people.

• August 23, 1955 – Ciudadela railroad station, State of Buenos Aires, Argentina: A commuter express train head-on a rear of another local train, with crashing five passenger cars. In an incident cause by train driver has human erroe and dense fog, killing at least 30 with injuring 100.

• July 17, 1955 – Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile: A passenger train bump into rear of another passenger train, caused by dense fog and crashing two passenger cars in San Bernardo railroad station, at least fourty-nine people confirmed dead with fourty-three are injured.

crashed. Killed at least 30 people and injured 100.

• September 24, 1955 – Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico: A Torreon-Chihuahua passenger train hit by a fuel truck, carrying dynamite, following explosion and caught fire in level crossing, at least 100 people confirmed dead and 150 people are injured.

• December 21, 1955 - A runaway freight train crashes through a bridge in Cahir Co Tipperary killing 2 people.

• February 25, 1956 – Bormitz, Ostvorpommem, Mecklenburg-Vorpommem, East Germany: A Dresden-Lipzig express slammed into a freight train with two locomotive engines, with crushing several passenger cars, at least 35 pepole confirmed dead and 40 people are injured.

• September 2, 1956 – Andra Pradesh, India: A Delhi-Chennai of Grand Trunk Express derailed and crushing two passenger cars with a locomotive engine in Krishna River, between Gadwal and Kathpalle, at least 112 people confirmed dead in this crush.

• November 23, 1956 – Ariyalur, Tamil Nadu, India: A Chennai-Thoothukudi express derailed by flood swept and plunged into Marudaiyar River, and crushing a locomotive engine and seven passernger cars, at least 154 people confirmed dead and at least 60 people are injured in this crush.

• July 19, 1957 – A nine-cars of Vintimille-Paris express train derail on a track by exssive speed in approaching La Croisiere railroad station, which killed 20 with injured 82 people in Bollene, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France.

• September 7, 1957 – A Nimes-Paris express train derailed on a track by exssive speed approaching Nozieres Brignon railroad station, which killed 26 people in Nozieres, Rhone-Alpes, France.

• November 16, 1957 – A freight train smash into a rear of six cars of local passenger train in La Roche-sur-Yon railroad station, Pays de la Loire, France. In an incident caused by a railroad worker error of switch track, which killed 29 with injured 30 people.

• January 21, 1954 – Thatta, Sindh, Pakistan: A Lahore-Karachi of Pakistan Mail train head-on collided with a freight train carrying gasoline, at least 100 people confirmed dead.

1960s

• December 24, 1961 – Catanzaro, Catabria, Italy: A local passenger train plunged into Fiumarella River, Soveria-Catanzaro Line, at least seventy-one people confirmed dead and thirty-three people are injured.

• March 8, 1962 – Castel Bolognese, Ravenna, Italy: A Bari-Milan express with 700 people on board derailed, at least thirteen people dead and 100 injured.

• May 31, 1962 – A Milan-Genoa passenger train collided with standing twelve cars of freight train in Voghera railroad station, Pavia, Italy, at least sixty-two people dead and seventy injured.

• July 9, 1962 – Suburb of Garmsar, Semnan, Iran: A freight train hit by a crowded local bus, at least fourty-five people dead and twenty-nine injured.

• December 20, 1964 – Tacotalpa, Tabasco, Mexico: A freight train smash into a Tenosique-Costzacoalcos passenger train, at least 45 people confirmed dead and 75 peole are injured.

• February 10, 1965 – Zaragoza, Spain: A Barcelona-Madrid express train caught fire, with damaged three passenger cars, at least thirty people are killed and thirty-three people are injured.

• December 20, 1965 – Sintra, Lisbon Region, Portugal: An express train bump into rear of a freight train, at least twenty-five people victims and seventy people are wounded.

• June 12, 1966 – Bombay (present day of Mumbai), India: Two Victoria-Thana commuter trains collision in Matunga railroad station, at least 100 people confirmed dead and 120 people are injured.

• May 21, 1967 – Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India: A Bangalore-Cochin express train crashed, at least 40 killed and 50 injured.

• July 8, 1967 – Mun Wai, Korat (present day of Nakorn Ratchasima), Thailand: A Nongkhai-Bangkok express train smash into an overloaded bus in level crossing site, which killed 43 people with injured 39.

• August 10, 1967 – Odense, Denmark: 11 people are killed and 36 injured as a lyntog express train from Copenhagen crashes into a stationary train shortly before Odense.

• August 25, 1967 – Beesd, Netherlands: The driver and conductor (who in those days was supposed to ride together with the driver in the front cabin) are killed and 7 passengers of a passenger train are injured at 5:55 in the morning, when a cargo train crashes head-on into the first passenger train of that day. The driver of the cargo train (who was injured but survived the crash) missed a red signal, because of dense fog.

• October 4, 1967 – Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher, Belgium : 11 people are killed as 3 trains collide.

• September 20, 1968 - Djaya, West Java, Indonesia: An express train head-on collided with another local train, with several cars derailed, at least fifty people are killed and at least 150 people injured.

1970's

• May 30, 1971 – Duivendrecht, Ouder-Amstel, Netherland: A Amsterdam-Genoa International express train and Eindhoven-Amsterdam local train collision, killing seven and injuring thirty-eight

• October 21, 1974, Gormanstown Co Meath, Ireland A rear-end collision results in the deaths of 2 passengers and the injury of a number of others

• September 29, 1975: State of Buenos Aires, Argentina: A commuter train collision with another standing passenger train in Rio Lujan railroad station, with two passenger cars

• September 7, 1976 – Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa: A commuter train bump into rear of Johannesburg-Maputo express, and killing at least thirty-one people and injuring seventy.

• September 9, 1977 – Asyut, Egypt: At least fourty-one people killed and 153 people injured, when a twenty-one cars of passenger train with 700 people onboard and crashed.

• October 11, 1977 – Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India: A Kolkata-Delhi Express train rear of bump into a freight train, killing at least sixty-one and injuring at least 150.

1980's

• February 17, 1987 – Itaquera, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil: A commuter train bump into rear of another commuter train at switching point, at least fifty-eight people confirmed dead and 111 people are injured.

• March 4, 1984 – New Delhi, India: A local train hit a crouded bus on a city road crossing, killing 2 and injering 6 people on the bus.

• July 14, 1984 – A freight train plows into the rear of a crowded passenger train in Divača, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, killing 31 and injuring 33.

• November 25, 1984 – A train derailed between Sheung Shui and Fanling station on the KCR East Rail. The incident occurred when the driver, preparing to back the train up to Sheung Shui station, failed to follow a speed/stop signal while the train was exceeding the speed limit. The train crashed into a boulder/buffer with the first 2 cars piling on top of each other. The degree of which they were damaged was so extensive that the cars never returned to service. Luckily, the passengers were unloaded prior to the crash while the driver sustained only minor injuries. However, the accident caused train services to suspend for the rest of the day and the incident spurred a series of public outcries concerning railway safety. It is certain that this was, and perhaps will remain, Hong Kong's most disastrous railway accident in her history.

• December 23, 1984 – The Rapido 904 from Naples to Milan named the "Christmas train" explodes in the longest Italian tunnel of San Benedetto Val di Sambro. An alliance formed between Mafia groups "What ours" and the Neapolitan Racket was behind the massacre on Express 904. In that tunnel there remained the bodies of 15 people, and hundreds were seriously injured, some dying many years later.

• June 12, 1986 – Itaquera, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil: An exspres train hits a car on a city grade crossing The 3 occupants of the car are killed and the train diver is badly wounded in the crash.

• December 19, 1987 – Harare, Zimbabwe: A freight train bump into rear of another on the same platform in the city‘s central station, killing 1 and injuring 2 passingers.

• April 4, 1987 – Burnham, Illinois, United States: A South Shore Line (NICTD) commuter train collided with a freight car, which had rolled from a siding onto the mainline. The train's engineer was killed, several more injured. It was later determined that a rusted rail prevented the freight car from activating the railroad's signal system.

• September 24, 1989 - An express train derails near Claremorris in County Mayo, Ireland injuring 70 people.

• September 28, 1989 – Amtrak's Crescent, bound from Washington D.C. to New Orleans], Louisiana, hits a fire truck on an unguarded private grade crossing about 40 miles (64 km) south of Washington. Two firefighters are killed, and the other three seriously injured.

• October 21, 1980 – Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh, India: A passenger train bump into rear of a freight train and killing at least twenty with injuring at least eighty-three.

• October 29, 1980 – Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India: A Songam Express rear of bump into a freight train and both train are derailed, killing at least thirty-two with injuring at least 100.

• December 11, 1984 – Wembley, London: A passenger train collided with a freight train at Wembley Central, killing 3 injuring 60.

1990's

• January 8, 1991 – London, England: A passenger train hits the buffers at Cannon Street Station. 1 person killed and 542 are injured.

A Virgin Trains Mk2 coach at Banbury in 2001. All of Virgin's slam door stock was phased out by 2003, due to passenger safety concerns relating to such rolling stock.

• May 11 / August 7, 1991 – The Tamworth Triangle incidents. Three teenagers fell out of unlocked doors on some of the older types of express trains and later died from their injuries. The first two deaths occurred near Tamworth, Staffordshire, the third near Nuneaton, Warwickshire a few days later. Several other people had also encountered serious faults with the unlocking of doors during the same period both in Alrewas, Staffordshire and Stafford, but no more serious injuries resulted. A similar incident had also occurred in Cardiff, Wales a few months earlier. These incidents lead to the Health and Safety Executive condemning 'slam door' trains. The former director of British rail, Sir Bob Reid referred back to it in his retirement speech in 1997 and later in 2002. The construction magazine CNpluss later published a report in to it, in part of an article called "Two into four will go" on 11 August 2005, which concluded that trying to move about a crowded buffet-car was so difficult that some people were knocked out of the carriage door or mistook it for an interior door.

• September 30, 1991 – Ballycumber, Republic of Ireland. A passenger train derails in Ballycumber Co Offally killing one and injuring a number of others.

• 7 December 1991 – Severn Tunnel rail accident - faulty manipulation of the axle counters is suspected.

• September 28, 1993 – Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Morocco: A Marrakesh-Tangier passenger train collision with a freight train carrying propane gas, and crashing six passenger cars, near Temara railroad station, which killed 13 people and injuring 103.

• November 2, 1993 – Depok, West Java, Indonesia: At least 69 people died and 77 are injured, when two Bogor-Jakarta commuter train collision on same single track and several cars damaged.

• January 14, 1995 – Hili railroad station, Dinajpur, Bangladesh: A Dhaka-Khulna Samanta Express rammed into a standing local passenger train, official announced of death toll number of 38, another injuring are at least 300.

• January 31, 1995 - Aisgill, Settle-Carlisle Railway, England: A British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter Diesel Multiple Unit derails because of a landslide and is hit by another Sprinter coming in the opposite direction in darkness and heavy rain. The conductor of the Sprinter that derailed because of the landslide is killed. Several people are seriously hurt, and the driver of one of the Sprinters has to be cut out by the fire brigade.

• June 5, 1995 – Brooklyn, NY, A Manhattan bound J train rear ends an M train on the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge, killing the motorman on the J train and injuring 55 people. The National Transportation Safety Board investigating into the accident, concluded that train operator fatigue, and poor spacing of the signal system (the signals were too close together) were the main causes to this crash.

• August 26, 1995 – According to Yonhap report, Seoul–Busan nightly express train carrying 440 passengers on board plunged and derailed at Goisan, Chungju, South Korea, with crushing six passenger cars, killing one, another 120 are injured.

• October 9, 1995 – Palo Verde derailment, Arizona, United States: One crewman is killed and 78 passengers are injured when an Amtrak passenger train en route to Los Angeles is derailed by saboteurs. To date, the person(s) responsible for the derailment have not been found.

• December 12, 1995 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany – The last of the DRG Class ET 91, a German class of electric multiple units from the 1930s, crashes with the ÖBB 1044 235 electric locomotive in the station of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, resulting in one fatal casualty and 46 injured.

• December 25, 1995 – According to Spanish Telemadrid television report, a Barcelona–Málaga–Madrid locomotive express train, carrying 200 passengers on-board is derailed and first car plunged down a ravine at mountain pass near Despenaperros Natural Park, Andalucia, Spain, killing two train workers.

been damaged by the 7.1-magnitude Hector Mine earthquake, which had occurred 24 minutes prior to the derailment. Four of the 155 passengers on the train suffered minor injuries in the incident.

• February 9, 1996 – Secaucus, New Jersey, United States: New Jersey Transit Train 1254 traveling to Hoboken Terminal via the Bergen County Line runs a red signal a few hundred yards east of where the Secaucus Junction Station is currently located and slams into NJT Train 1107 traveling to Suffern, New York via the NJT Main Line. Both engineers and a passenger on Train 1,254 are killed.

• December 30, 1996 – Cazzago San Martino, Province of Brescia: At Bornato station Brescia-Iseo-Edolo Railway, LeNord train n°4 departed on the single rail track without waiting for the incoming train n°255. 3 people were killed and 45 were injured.

• December 29, 1997 - Some kilometers from Belver station, by the TEJO river, the morning Intercidades ran into a landslide (rocks mainly), derailing the locomotive (CP Alsthom #1947) and two stainless steel Sorefame cars. Only some persons were injured, none were killed.

• October 16, 1999 - Near Ludlow, California: Amtrak's westbound Southwest Chief passenger train, en route from Chicago to Los Angeles, was derailed while crossing the Mojave Desert 126 miles northeast of Los Angeles when the train reached a section of track that had

• November 17, 1999 – Athens, Greece: 3 workmen using a pneumatic drill in Athens station are killed when they could not hear an approaching train from Halkida as it entered the station. 2 others later died of their wounds. They also apparently ignored the obvious timing factors relating to when trains would be actually scheduled to use the platform in the first place. The deaths are put down as being caused by the use of sloppy work routines.

2002

• February 21, 2002 – 2 stow-away passengers died and 5 were hurt, as they fell off the sides of a freight train they were hanging on to, near Baghdad.

• February 22, 2002 – A stow-away passenger died as he fell of the roof of the freight train he was hainging on to near Baghdad.

• March 1, 2002 – 3 stow-away passengers died and 2 were hurt, as they were crushed between a tunnel wall and the sides of a freight train they were hanging on to, near Karachi.

2004

• October 23, 2004 – Nagaoka, Niigata: During the Chūetsu Earthquake Eight of ten cars of the Toki No. 325 train on the Jōetsu Shinkansen were derailed. None of the 154 passengers were killed or injured.

• February 15, 2004 – Tebay , Cumbria, England, United Kingdom: A sleeper (railroad tie) transporter trolley with defective brakes carrying 16 tonnes of rails became detached from a maintenance train south of Penrith and rolled down the falling gradient until it struck and killed 4 workmen in a team repairing the line at Tebay, between Oxenholme and Penrith. The owner of the sleeper transporter truck (a contractor working for Network Rail) is prosecuted. (Source- The Metro newspaper (UK), March 2006).

• March 2, 2004 – Harare, Zimbabwe: A passinger train hit a van on a level crossing in the city, injering 1 person.

2005

• March 12, 2005 – Phu Loc, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam: A 13 cars of Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City of E1 Express, carrying 500 people onboard, where derail in near by Lang Co bridge, at least 13 people are killed with 100 people are injured.

• 26 November 2005 – Moy near Inverness, Scotland, United Kingdom. 9 are airlifted to hospital when a First ScotRail Class 170 DMU derails after hitting debris from a landslide caused by a local blizzard.

• December 25, 2005 – According to Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official and TBS report, a six cars Akita-Niigata Inaho express derail off the rail, where three passenger cars of crushed with hit farm house at Uetsu Line, Shonai, Yamagata, Japan, in an incident caused by a train driver has exceeded speed during strong wind with blizzard, Japanese official claimed at least five dead and injuring 32.

2006

• January 29, 2006 – A broken rail causes a derailment near Jhelum in the Punjab, killing 2 and injuring 29. Poor maintenance is officially being cited as cause of the accident, but sabotage was suspected by some authorities. The government inquiry later blamed defective and aging rails. [[3]] +

[[4]] + [[5]] + [[6]] + [[7]] [[8]] + [[9]] + [[10]]

• March 13, 2006 – Austin, Texas, United States: Tara Rose McAvoy, 18, the reigning Miss Deaf Texas, is killed by the snowplow on a 65-car Union Pacific freight train while trespassing on the tracks and text-messaging her parents. The train sounded its horn repeatedly and attempted to apply the emergency brakes but could not stop before hitting McAvoy.

• April 23, 2006 – According to South Korean humanitarian aid group report, A passenger train carrying North Korean soldiers head-on collision with another passenger train in same track, Kowon County, South Hamkyong, North Korea, killing at least 1000 people with unofficialty, second worst railroad disaster in world history.

• June 11, 2006 – Serbia, Belgard-Bar Railway: Once-in-a-lifetime train ride in Serbia This may not be one she'd want to take again. But the trip does offer a glimpse into how residents live.IT was plain contrariness. That's my only explanation for taking the train from Belgrade, Serbia, to Bar in Montenegro on the Adriatic coast. I wanted to see the Serbian countryside, all but off the tourist map since the recent Balkan wars, and to follow the wild gorge of the Tara River into Montenegro. My trip coincided with the potentially explosive May 21 election deciding whether Montenegrins would vote for independence from Serbia. (They did.)Everyone warned me that it would be an uncomfortable, dirty, crowded ride, that trains on the Belgrade-Bar line are usually late and that the state-run railway system hasn't been improved since the 19th century. Even the Serbian Railways website issued warnings about the dilapidated state of its equipment and tracks. Many Serbs travel to the sunny coast by plane or bus, a Belgrade travel agent told me. He politely and efficiently arranged the two-day trip, adding a night's layover at Zlatibor in the Dinaric Alps, but clearly thought I was crazy. n Belgrade before the trip, I visited the city's small Railway Museum on Sava Square near the main train station. The museum is small and hardly state of the art, but it has old equipment, photos and maps of interest to train buffs, and descriptive panels in English as well as Serbian. From these I learned that trouble has dogged the country's trains. The French company engaged to build a link for the Orient Express from Belgrade to Istanbul, Turkey, in 1880 went bankrupt, delaying the project 15 months. Unlike other European countries, Serbia invested little in its train system, ultimately laying only about 2,000 miles of tracks. Both world wars interrupted service and damaged railway infrastructure, as did NATO bombings in the 1990s. But there were other, positive signs. The Belgrade train station turned out to be a handsome yellow Baroque edifice built in 1884, then rebuilt after it was demolished in the first and second world wars. Outside, travelers can admire the vintage locomotive that pulled the "Blue Train," used by President Josip Tito on cross-country tours. Tito's luxurious cars can be rented for special occasions, and the railway offers sightseeing excursions on lines such as the "Sargan Eight," which passes through 20 tunnels and over 10 bridges in about eight miles near the country's mountainous southwestern border. When I looked on the Internet for reports about the Belgrade-Bar line, I found one from the Associated Press, dated Feb. 1 and headlined, "Parts of Wrecked Train Are Recovered for Montenegro's Investigation Into Deadly Accident." That was as far as I read, because by that point, my wheels were on the track. THE train I boarded for the three-hour first leg of my journey from Belgrade to Zlatibor looked ready for the scrap heap. It had bathrooms with toilet holes through which you could see the track, windows that opened instead of an air-conditioning system and well-worn compartments that seated six. I was traveling first class (for about $10 one way from Belgrade to Bar), but I couldn't find a seat corresponding to my ticket. So I simply chose a spot, which is what passengers do even if they don't have reservations. At first, the scenery was flat and monotonous, though I couldn't see much because the window was filthy. When we got into the mountains around the town of Uzice, the site of the country's first modern hydroelectric plant, I left the compartment and stood at an open window in the passageway so I could see out. Others joined me there to smoke. When the train pulled into Branesci, the stop for Zlatibor, I found Dragan Savicic, the owner of the villa hotel where I had a room for the night, waiting for me. He and his friend Marko Lukovic are about 7 feet tall, former professional basketball players. They took me by car to the Vila Bajka in Zlatibor, a pretty lakeside mountain town where Serbs ski in January and February and rusticate in July and August. When we got there, we had coffee on the terrace, which Dragan and Marko said was how they generally spent their time the rest of the year. Then they let me choose movies from their extensive DVD collection and showed me to my neat third-floor apartment, which had a kitchenette. Once I settled in, I walked back down the road to the town center, where I found cafes, nightclubs, shops and a folk craft market. It rained that night, so I cooked spaghetti with bottled Bolognese sauce in my kitchenette before curling up to watch Michael Caine in the 1964 movie "Zulu."The next morning, I took another long walk, into the hills, where I saw women collecting dandelions and children riding ponies. But I had a train to catch around 1 p.m. The scenery improved on the second leg of the trip, which lasted about seven hours. The train passed through the town of Prijepolje, birthplace of Vlade Divac, who played for the Lakers, then followed the Lim River to the border, which the train crossed without stopping for passport inspection. Near Mojkovac, the train skirted the western border of Biogradska Gora National Park, with its alpine lakes and snow-capped peaks, then wound along the steep side of the Tara River gorge.

• June 12, 2006 – Netanya, Israel: A passenger train from Tel Aviv to Haifa derails after colliding with a lorry on a level crossing, killing five and injuring more than 100. http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-spano11jun11,1,290825.column?ctrack=1&cset=true

• April 15, 2006 – Gubuck, Java: 13 die and 26 are injured as two trains collide and wreckage falls into a paddy field. One Swiss man was among the injured. Human error by the driver was officially blamed. [[11]] +

[[12]]

• June 14, 2006- Madera, California: 2 BNSF Railway Freight trains collide head on due to one of the trains running a red signal. One of the train's crews, the one that ran the red, was suspected to be high on cocaine.

• July 13, 2006 – Skopje, Macedonia: 2 died instantly and 4 were injured as passenger train hit a tractor and trailer near Skopje. One of the dead was a 14 year old boy and the other one was an old man. The train then skidded in to the taxi rank at a near by station and injured a taxi driver as his car was crushed under the train. The train driver was quizzed over possible safety lapses, but was later found innocent. Some reports came 4 people on the train were slightly injured also.

• July 14, 2006 – Luxembourg: A man sets a newspaper alight on board a train, resulting in a fire that injures 31, with seven people suffering critical injuries. The culprit is suspected to have a mental disorder.

• July 15, 2007 – Platform-edge door in Shanghai has caused a fatal accident. A man tried to force his way onto a crowded train at the station for the Shanghai Indoor Stadium, but failed. When the doors closed, he was trapped between the platform doors and the train, leading to his death.

• July 16, 2008 – According to Egyptian National Railways official and Nile TV report, a truck with two vehicles are pushing into a Matruh-Alexandria passenger train at level crossing at Mersa Matruh, Egypt, in an incident caused by a truck driver has brakes failure, killing fourty and injureing fifty.

• July 25, 2006 – Warsaw, Poland in the railway station Warszawa Stadion, in 5.50, a Skierniewice – Pilawa passenger train of the Spółka „Koleje Mazowieckie – KM” rail have dashing into back of the Zakopane – Gdynia Główna Intercity passenger train of the PKP TLK (Tanie Linie Kolejowe) - 38 injured.

• November 20, 2006 – Germany- A commuter train collides with a track maintenance vehicle at Südkreuz station near Berlin, injuring 33. (Sorce- The B.B.C.).

• November 20, 2006 – Canada- MARISSA, Ill. - A coal train crashed into a sport utility vehicle crossing the tracks Monday, killing three people and injuring a fourth, officials said. The crash occurred around 7:45 a.m. at the main railroad crossing in Marissa, about 40 miles southeast of St. Louis, Canadian National Railway Co. spokesman Jim Kvedaras said. “According to the conductor, the driver made no attempt to stop and drove into the path of the train,” said Marissa Police Chief Michael Kerperien. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15818058/

• November 21, 2006 – Arnhem, Netherlands - An cargo train driver ignores a red signal and collides almost head-on into a passenger train which was about to enther the railway station, injuring 31, of which 3 are still in hospital a day later. A day earlier, a similar accident happened in Rotterdam. Luckily, that passenger train was empty and none were injured there, but there was extensive material damage to the rail track and its overhead power lines

• December 12, 2006 – Transilvania, Cluj/Kolozsvár/Klausenburg, Romania, one cargo train and one personal train collapsed, and two persons wounded: one pasenger and one railroader.

• December 12/December 13, 2006 – Szolnok, Hungary, a pasenger 3-cars railcar train Szolnok --- Újszász --- Jászapáti in the night no stopping in the red signal post, and running to the stoping electric train Szolnok --- Újszász --- Budapest-Keleti pu/Budapest Keleti Railway Station, and slip out of. Seven persons have wounded.

• December 12, 2006 – Northern Territory, Darwin. One of Australia's most popular tourist trains derailed Tuesday in the remote Outback, but no one among the 82 people aboard was seriously hurt, a spokesman said. The Ghan, which makes the 1,850-mile run from Adelaide to Darwin twice weekly, derailed about 18 miles south of the Adelaide River in Australia's Northern Territory. "We don't know why it came off the tracks. It's too early to tell," said Alan Stuart, a spokesman for the Great Southern Railway. "At this stage, we are investigating." The train was carrying 65 passengers and a crew of 17, none of whom suffered serious injuries.

• December 13, 2006 – Avio, Italy, a freight train operated by Trenitalia ignores a red signal and crashes on a freight train of the private company Rail Traction Company. Two engineers of Trenitalia die in the violent crash -

• December 23, 2006 – Ukraine, Kharkhov. In the night, the last carriage the train of the Kharkhov-Jazikovo line the Ukrainian state rail company УЖ - Ukrainske Zhjeleznice railways, kindleing and the fire have with lightning speed spreading. The outbreak of fire perception the next carriage's passengers and wake up of the truck guarder. She have pull the emergency brake. The fire brigade have in the one o'clock put out the fire. The sixt passengers of the train deceaseing, much int this hell wounded. The police issue a warrant against sy of the drunken firebrander.

• December 23, 2006 – Langon,France, TGV Paris - Toulon, at 20:00 hit a car on a level-crossing about 3km from Langon. Two car passengers died immediately, one further gravely wounded.

• December 27, 2006 – Hungary, Győr/Raab city. In the Budapest---Győr/Raab---Wien---München---Paris and Budapest---Győr---Bratislava---Prague---Berlin railway, 25 km west of the city Győr/Raab, between railway stations Kimle and Lébény-Mosonszentmiklós, several truck of the freight train transporting cornfield have windig, one truck on the two track overturning and plough up the track, uprooting the pylons of the wires. In this line two day have stopping the national and international rail traffic. The EC and IC trains to the relation Budapest-Paris, Budapest-Wien, Budapest-Frankfurt a/M, Budapest-Bratislava-Prague-Berlin, Budapest-Bern/Zürich running full of the meaning roundabout of the private rail Raab-Ödenburg-Ebenfurter Eisenbahn/Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurti Vasút (ROeEE/GySEV) by Győr/Raab to the Csorna, andfarther in the 3-st class not electrification railway to the Hegyeshalom. Happy not bee wounded, but the material loss of the hungarian national railways Magyar Államvasútak - MÁV are very big.

• December 28, 2006 – 9.00 o'clock local time (15.00 GMT) Mexico, Cuautitlan A 36-car freight train smashed into a bus as it crossed a railroad track outside Mexico City. At least 24 were killed and 12 injured.2 in hospital. The train crumpled up the bus and pushed it about 330 feet. The bus driver was able to walk away from the incident unharmed, claiming he misjudged the speed of the train.

2007

• January 7, 2007 – Washington, DC, United States: A 6-car Washington Metro Green line train derails on a crossover in a tunnel near the Mt. Vernon Square station. 18 injured. [13]

• January 7, 2007 – – Washington, DC, United States: A 6-car Washington Metro Green line train derails on a crossover in a tunnel near the Mt. Vernon Square station. Eighteen were injured.

• January 9, 2007 – – Massachusetts, United States: An MBTA Commuter Rail train traveling on the Lowell Line hits a maintenance crew in Woburn, Massachusetts and kills two workers.

• January 10, 2007 – Two trucks collide with trains in separate incidents Two trucks tangled with trains this week — but with no serious injuries resulting. In the first incident, the rear end of a semi-trailer travelling north on a grid road near Limerick was struck by a train around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The train, which had been travelling about 30 kilometres per hour before the accident, had applied its emergency brakes but was unable to stop, the RCMP said. As a result, the semi and trailer were struck and flipped over. The driver of the semi, a 43-year-old male from Regina, was taken to hospital, but later released. He was subsequently charge with driving without due care and attention. In the second incident, which occurred at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, a train collided with a pickup truck on a grid road northwest of Midale. The rear of the pickup was hit by the eastbound train. There were five men, all from the Estevan area, in the truck, but none was seriously injured. The RCMP said “slippery road conditions were believed to have contributed to the collision,” adding it appeared the truck was unable to stop at the controlled railway crossing. No charges have been laid in this incident.

• January 14, 2007 – Hua Hin, Thailand: the train Bangkok-Yala frontal crash of the train Yala-Bangkok. Three persons killed, 107 people in the hospital.

• January 16, 2007 – Central Java, Indonesia: The Senja Bengawan train derailed leading to five fatalities.

• January 16, 2007 – Kentucky, United States: In Brooks, Kentucky a CSX freight train heading to Louisville, Kentucky from Birmingham, Alabama derailed and burst into flames. The freight train was carrying Cyclohexane and Aniline which spread through the smoke and hospitalized 11.

• January 19, 2007 – Wasserauen, Switzerland: At approximately 10.20 the electric passenger train nr. 332 Wasserauen-Appenzel-Herisau-St.Gallen derailed about 200 m after railway station Wasserauen. Two coaches ended up on the parallel public road Wasserauen-Gais, and overturned in the road. On this day the hurricane Kyrill in the Switzerland had windspeeds of 132-240 km/h. No deaths or injuries. Wasserauen Accident Coverage at FRN and Basler Zeitung (German). Photographs at: www.railway-market.pl, bahnONLINE.ch & polizeinews.ch.

• January 19, 2007 – – Wasserauen, Switzerland: At approximately 10.20 the electric passenger train nr. 332 Wasserauen-Appenzel-Herisau-St.Gallen derailed about 200 m after railway station Wasserauen. Two coaches ended up on the parallel public road Wasserauen-Gais, and overturned in the road. On this day the hurricane Kyrill in the Switzerland had windspeeds of 132-240 km/h. No deaths or injuries. Wasserauen Accident Coverage at FRN[97] and Basler Zeitung (German)[98]. Photographs at: www.railway-market.pl[99], bahnONLINE.ch[100] & polizeinews.ch[101].

• February 5, 2007 – Zagreb, Croatia: In the railway station Zagreb Glávni Kolodvor, passenger railcar "Macosa" nr. 2300 of the route Virovitica---Koprivnica---Zagreb derailed. One woman wounded, great the expense of railway: in the railway infrastructure 45.000 HRK, in the train 700.000 HRK.Photographs at: Hrvatske željeznice croatian railways http://www.hznet.hr/

• February 6, 2007 – Szőny, Hungary: At approximately 18.50 the international passenger train "EUREGIO" nr. 9438 Tatabánya-Győr-Vienna crashed into the end of a freight train with a relatively high speed (about 60-70 km/h) near Szőny railway stop. The driver of the 9438 died, 8 passengers were injured. The loco was ÖBB 1116 017-3.Photographs at: http://www.railway-market.pl http://www.hirado.hu/ http://www.nol.hu/ TV report at: http://www.hirtv.hu/ Photograps and TV network at: http://www.online.rtlklub.hu/ http://www.hirado.hu/

• February 10, 2007 – Karánice, Czech Republic: The express train Prague---Hradec Králové number R957 of the Česke drahy (ČD) railways, crashed at Karánice station, on track number 020 (Velký Osek---Hradec Králové---Choceň) where it did not stop before the red signal & crashed into freight train number Pn 63440 & derailed the electromotive number 163.035, one passenger car & two trucks. The driver of the 163.035 was seriously wounded. The material damages were great.Photographs at:http://www.railpage.net/

• February 5, 2007 – – Zagreb, Croatia: In the railway station Zagreb Glávni Kolodvor, passenger railcar "Macosa" nr. 2300 of the route Virovitica---Koprivnica---Zagreb derailed. One woman wounded, great the expense of railway: in the railway infrastructure 45.000 HRK, in the train 700.000 HRK.Photographs at: Hrvatske željeznice croatian railways http://www.hznet.hr/[102]

• February 6, 2007 – – Szőny, Hungary: At approximately 18.50 the international passenger train "EUREGIO" nr. 9438 Tatabánya-Győr-Vienna crashed into the end of a freight train with a relatively high speed (about 60-70 km/h) near Szőny railway stop. The driver of the 9438 died, 8 passengers were injured. The loco was ÖBB 1116 017-3.Photographs at: http://www.railway-market.pl/[103] & http://www.hirado.hu/[104] & http://www.nol.hu/[105] TV report at: http://www.hirtv.hu/[106] Photograps and TV network at: http://www.online.rtlklub.hu/[107] & http://www.hirado.hu/[108]

• February 10, 2007 – – Karánice, Czech Republic: The express train Prague---Hradec Králové number R957 of the Česke drahy (ČD) railways, in the station Karánice, in the track number 020 (Velký Osek---Hradec Králové---Choceň) not be stoping before the red signal & crashed of the freight train number Pn 63440 & derailed of the electromotive number 163.035, one passenger carriage & two truck. The motorman of the 163.035 be seriously wounded. The maternal damage are great.

• February 10, 2007 – – Prague, Czech Republic: A EuroCity train bound for Warsaw was derailed at the points between the Prague Hlavni nadrazi (Main Railway Station) and the Liben district shortly before 10:30 a.m. on February 17th, Jan Kucera, director of the rail inspection said. The engine and five carriages fell out of the rails, but there were no injuries. However, the accident has caused a big complication to the railway traffic as the most used part of the rail system in the Czech Republic has been blocked, Kucera said. "Alternative transport by other means will be secured for the passengers from the train EC 107 'Praha'. According to the latest information, the pause will last till this evening," Czech Railways spokesman Ales Ondruj told CTK. The accident has blocked the place for trains bound for Ostrava, North Moravia, Brno, Decin, North Bohemia, Mlada Boleslav, Central Bohemia, and Hradec Kralove, East Bohemia, he added.

• February 18, 2007 – 1 person was killed when Via Rail train 34 enroute to Montreal from Ottawa struck a snow-mobiler about 50km east of Alexandria, Ontario. The accident happened at around 4:20pm. The snow-mobiler died on the scene. Most Via Rail services to and from Montreal were affected by this accident resulting in minor to major delays on all Via service.

• February 19, 2007 –At least 42 people were feared killed in a suspected IED blast in the Delhi-Attari Special train near Deewana in Panipat, about 80 kms from Chandigarh, around midnight.The dead included some Pakistanis, top police officials in Chandigarh said. Two CRPF jawans were also said to be missing. The train to Attari carries passengers to Pakistan for cross over at Wagah border. Several people were injured in the suspected blast which occured at around 11.55 pm on Sunday night. Two bogies of he train caught fire in the explosion and the toll could go up. The injured include a constable from Amritsar and at least eight Pakistanis, railway sources said.Photos:

• February 21, 2007 – The morning express train had 130 passengers on board when it ran off the tracks in bad weather about 10am. Kjell Bakken of the state agency responsible for railroad infrastructure in Norway, Jernbaneverket, said it was the first section of the eight-car train that derailed. Bakken said some of the cars remained on the tracks. Passengers were to be transferred to cars that hadn't derailed, and official initially intended to tow those cars back to the station at Voss. That plan had to be dropped, however, when another train sent to assist got stuck in snowdrifts as well, blocking the tracks back to Voss. Passengers thus remained stranded early Wednesday afternoon, but the cars remaining upright had light and heating. No one was injured, so they just had to wait until a new rescue plan was in place. The accident was expected to spur major delays in train traffic all day. The tracks between Myrdal and Hallingskeid were blocked, which will affect all train service between Oslo and Bergen.

2008

• February 1, 2008 – East Midlands Connect service from Nottingham to Norwich involved in an incident at Barrow-on-Soar. The train hit a footbridge that was in its path, after a road vehicle had struck and damaged the bridge causing it to be foul of the line. Six passengers were on board the service and the driver had to be cut free from the driving cab.

• February 29, 2008. – Nine people became victims of fire in Bulgarian State Railways' train No.2637. The night train was travelling from Sofia to the north-eastern town of Kardam in Dobrich region. The fire started in a couchette carriage, which had 35 people in it at the time, and then spread to a sleeping coach with 27 people. It broke out as the train was entering the town of Cherven bryag, around midnight, and took more than three hours to extinguish. Among the victims of the fire was the Rasho Rashev, the director of Bulgaria's National Archaeological Institute. Bulgarian government declared March 5 a day of mourning in memory of the victims of the deadly fire.

• April 26, 2008 – Collision between a InterCityExpress train and a herd of sheep at the mouth of the German longest rail tunnel, 19 of the train's 135 passengers being lightly injured. Four people suffered fractures.

• April 28, 2008 – 2008 China Railway train T195 accident It has been reported that train No.T195 carrying approximately 1200 passengers from Beijing to Qingdao derailed at approximately 4:38am and was then hit by the No.5034 (Yantai to Xuzhou) passenger train at approximately 4:41am, also with approximately 1200 passengers aboard. The incident occurred at a section of temporary detour tracks Zhoucun-Wangcun, Hejiacun, on the outskirts of Zibo, Shandong, China, while the original tracks were being upgraded. The detour tracks had a lower speed limit of 80km/h, but the speed limit failed to be delivered to T195's operation monitor system or driver, and the driver was following the regular speed limit, so T195 was running at the regular speed of 131km/h before it derailed. It was reported that fourteen passenger cars had been crushed, 72 people had been killed and 416 injured.

• March 1, 2008 - containers blown off train by wind between Tring and Cheddington; also Shap

• May 4, 2008 – According to Thai National Railroad and MCOT television network report, a Sungai Kolok-Pattaluna passenger train carrying 400 passengers onboard derailed at outskirts of Sungai Kolok, Songkhla, Thailand, killing one and injuring 30.

• May 5, 2008 – According to Sudanese newspaper Al-Ray al-Am web site report, a 20 car freight train carrying illegal passengers, and including Kordofan University students derailed at outskirts of Al-Foula, South Kordofan, Sudan, killing 14 and injuring 28.

• May 10, 2008 – Romanian National Railway Company (CFR) passenger train No 1661 going from Bucharest to Iasi derailed near station Valea Calugareasca (Prahova county), around 16:55 local time (EET) while travelling at a speed of 68 km/h. There was a maximum speed limit on that sector of 70 km/h. A 17 year old girl died and 4 other persons were injured. The locomotive and 3 train cars were thrown off the lines. 2 of the cars were severely damaged. The cause of the accident is supposed to be a defective switch.

• May 14, 2008 – According to ATN Bangla television report, a Upaban Express train rammed into the rear of Noakhali Express train at Ashuganj station, Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh, killing 8, another injuring are 100.

• May 16, 2008 Ottumwa, Iowa. A local man is killed after being struck by a train at a level crossing, At least six people had seen the pedestrian on one track at around 5 p.m., waiting for a train on the other track to pass. They said he apparently didn’t see the second train coming up behind him, traveling along the track on which he stood.

• May 25, 2008 – The man who was killed was a conductor. He was part of a two-man crew that was unloading coal from the 97-car train.“He was helping unload coal from the train when he either fell off the car or was somehow pulled into the coal,” Sealey said. “This was a very unusual accident. I don’t recall anything like this ever happening here before.”

• May 28, 2008 – Boston MBTA Green Line D Train crashed into the rear of another train on the same line in Newton, Massachusetts between Woodland and Waban "T" stops.

• May 28, 2008 – Cape Town South Africa: A commuter train bumped into rear of another commuter train at switching over point and 22 people are injured.

• July 16, 2008 – According to Egyptian National Railways official and Nile TV report, a truck with two vehicles are pushing into a Matruh-Alexandria passenger train at level crossing at Mersa Matruh, Egypt, in an incident caused by a truck driver has brakes failure, killing fourty and injureing fifty.

2010

• July 8, 2010. A coal train collides with a coupé utility vehicle at the railway intersection on Goonyella Rd near Moranbah, Queensland, killing 1 and seriously injuring another.

• July 10, 2010. 25-year old Josh Owens is struck and killed by a Canadian National Railway freight train in Riverview, Michigan while walking on the tracks near the intersection of Pennsylvania Road and Electric.

2011

.

Reflist

--Its snowing in East Asia (talk) 14:54, 19 July 2010 (UTC)

O.K.--82.14.61.165 (talk) 15:27, 20 July 2010 (UTC)

Falls of Cruachan derailment.

Its snowing in East Asia/Archive saved rail accident pages
A ScotRail Class 156, similar to the unit involved
Details
Date	6 June 2010 20:53 BST (UTC+1)
Location	Near Falls of Cruachan
Country	United Kingdom
Line	West Highland Line
Operator	First ScotRail
Incident type	Derailment
Cause	Under investigation
Statistics
Trains	1
Deaths	0
Injured	8

The Falls of Cruachan derailment occurred on 6 June 2010 on the West Highland Line in Scotland, when a passenger train travelling between Glasgow and Oban derailed near Falls of Cruachan railway station, after a suspected landslide. The two-car diesel multiple unit caught fire and one carriage was left in a precarious position on the 50-foot (15 m) high embankment. Sixty passengers were evacuated, some with minor injures; eight of those were hospitalised as a precaution. In addition to blocking the line, the incident also caused the closure of the A85 road below the rail line. Both road and rail were closed for a week.

Location

Falls of Cruachan station, near the accident site

The derailment occurred near Falls of Cruachan station, on the branch of the West Highland Line which departs from the main route at Crianlarich station, running west to a terminus at Oban station on the coast.

Accident

The accident occurred on the 18:20 passenger train from Glasgow Queen Street station to Oban which derailed shortly before 21:00 BST (UTC+1). The unit involved was Class 156 diesel multiple unit 156 499. It was initially thought that two carriages had been left hanging over the 50-foot (15 m) embankment, although only one carriage was left in this position. The leading bogie of the second carriage was also derailed. The train caught fire during the incident, possibly because of leaking diesel fuel, but the fire was quickly put out using extinguishers.

Rescue efforts

The train was carrying 60 passengers and three crew. Emergency services were alerted by a passenger on the train who dialed 999 at 20:53 BST.

Firefighters from the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service launched a major incident response. Two appliances from Oban, plus one each from Arrochar, Dalmally and Inveraray were despatched to the scene. A Major Incident Unit (MIU) from Clydebank and a Heavy Rescue Vehicle (HRV) from Easterhouse also attended the scene of the accident. Two air ambulances and a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter also attended the scene due to the remote location.

British Transport Police reported that all the passengers and crew had been evacuated from the train to the nearby Cruachan power station, helped to safety by the train crew. The Ambulance Service treated most of the injured passengers at the scene, at a triage facility set up at the power station. Nobody was found to be seriously hurt, although eight people were taken to hospitals in Oban, Lochgilphead and Glasgow as a precaution, with the most serious cases described as minor spinal injuries.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency despatched two officers to the accident site to give advice on anti-pollution measures. Oil retention equipment was employed on Loch Awe and streams around the accident site to deal with any spilt diesel fuel from the carriages, which can carry 1,600 litres (350 imp gal) each. The MIU and HRV were stood down at 00:30 on 7 June, with other firefighters remaining on standby due to diesel leaking from a ruptured fuel tank on one of the carriages. All fire crews except for one rescue pump were stood down at 04:08, and control of the site was handed over to Network Rail engineers.

Travel effects

As a result of the derailment, the A85 was closed between the junctions with the A819 and the A828, with a limited replacement bus service implemented for rail travellers. ScotRail warned passengers that no guarantee could be given in regard to connections with ferry services at Oban. On 8 June 2010, it reported that removing the train would take "days" leaving the A85 closed, and no firm date was set for the reopening of the line. The nightly closures for roadworks of the A83 road were suspended to ease the effects of the A85 diversion. The A85 reopened at 20:30 on 13 June, the West Highland Line reopening at 06:00 on 14 June 2010.

Recovery of the train

On 8 June, Network Rail stated that they planned to have a crane on site to remove the two carriages by 11 June, after which track repairs would take place before the line could be opened to traffic. It was forecast that the line would be reopened in the week commencing 14 June. One of the problems with the recovery is that the A85 may have to be strengthened in order to bring in a crane to recover the carriages. The RMT Union reissued a demand that ScotRail scrap plans for the introduction of driver-only operated trains on the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link when it opens.

On 9 June, it was reported that a 1,000-tonne crane would be brought in by road from Carlisle to remove the derailed carriages on 10 June. The A85 at Falls of Cruachan was in effect on a bridge along the shore of Loch Awe and the engineers were looking at a number of methods to alleviate the problems with using such a large vehicle on the road. The carriage left overhanging the embankment was to be recovered by road, whilst the other was to be recovered by rail. A road crane had to be used as there was insufficient room available to use a rail-mounted crane. An option to use a helicopter to remove the carriages was ruled out due to the weight of the carriages at 35 tonnes each. If the crane was unable to recover the carriages, it was planned to winch them back onto the track and recover them by rail. The operation to recover the carriages was estimated to cost £100,000. On 11 June the crane removed the carriage that had fallen down the embankment.

Investigation

According to the British Transport Police the immediate cause of the derailment was thought to be that the train struck boulders which were obstructing the line. Additionally, the driver had also reported that his train had collided with two boulders that were on the line.

An investigation was opened into the accident by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch with ScotRail assisting. Network Rail also assisted in the investigation.

Rockfall risk

The stretch of line where the accident occurred is prone to rockfalls from the slopes of Ben Cruachan. The majority of incidents occur in summer and autumn, usually originated by sheep scrabbling on the slopes setting small stones rolling which then disturb larger ones. At least two derailments due to rockfalls had occurred previously in the area prior to the 2010 incident.

Along with other methods of rockfall risk reduction in the area, in the particular stretch of line from Loch Awe to Falls of Cruachan to Taynuilt, Network Rail also maintains the Pass of Brander stone signals. This is a purely mechanical warning system, independent of the electronic signalling system used on the line. It sets one of a series of seventeen semaphore signals to danger should rocks from the slopes of Ben Cruachan break a screen of up to 14 thin wires horizontally strung 9 to 10 inches (23 to 25 cm) apart. The signals are spaced about ¼ mile (400 m) apart over a 4-mile-1-chain (6.5 km) length of line.

Network Rail confirmed on 8 June however that the Pass of Brander signals would not have prevented the 2010 derailment, as the rocks fell from a position about 20 feet (6.10 m) below the wire screen, falling for about 50 feet (15.24 m) before landing on the track, a distance which was not considered to represent a sufficient landslide risk to be covered by the wires. When the system was originally installed, any unsafe boulders below the screen were wired back to the screen.

The Pass of Brander system covers the stretch of line from the 51 mile 60 chains point to the 56 mile 00 chain point, as measured from Callander. It was first installed in 1882 by the Callander and Oban Railway, following a derailment caused by falling rocks when a moving boulder actually struck a train, on 17 August 1881, a year after the line opened. It was then extended in stages up to 1913. A second derailment occurred on 8 August 1946, leaving the train perched on the edge of a 100-foot (30 m) drop. It happened to the 06:05 Oban to Glasgow train; the first the driver saw was the boulder falling onto the track, and was unable to stop the train in time. A third derailment occurred on 5 April 1997 at almost exactly the same site as the 2010 derailment. The guard on the train in 1997 was Angus McColl, who was also the guard in 2010. In the 1997 accident, the train remained upright and there were no reported injuries amongst the 40 passengers on board. On 11 June, Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT union, wrote to Network Rail criticising them for not implementing safety recommendations after a total of five previous derailments at Falls of Cruachan. Following the 1997 derailment, it was recommended that the embankment be stabilised above the line. Crow claimed that this work had not been carried out. Network Rail responded to Crow's allegation by stating that the cause of the accident was still under investigation by RAIB, and that it was their job to determine the cause, not the RMT's.

See also

• 1995 Ais Gill rail accident
• 2010 Merano train derailment

External links

• Video of the crash scene (BBC)