Posted on 14 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On the evening of 9 July 1864, Thomas Briggs, chief clerk at a London bank in Lombard Street,, boarded a train at Fenchurch Street station – and was the first person to be murdered on a train in Britain. He was found, badly beaten, on the track between Bow and Hackney by the crew of [...] [...more]
Posted on 08 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Following the breakdown of a Eurostar train in south-east England, the several hundred passengers aboard had to wait more than an hour before a replacement train arrived to take them to St Pancras station in London. Although the train lights failed initially, emergency units “eventually” switched in. [...more]
Posted on 08 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Harsh weather has caused widespread rail disruption across Sweden. Urban metro services were badly affected in temperatures as low as -25 degrees Celsius, and all train operations between Stockholm and Gothenburg came to a standstill. Infrastructure minister Åsa Torstensson said the situation was “catastrophe” and blamed Banverket, the National Rail Administration, for failing in its [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The 15 February head-on collision near Brussels was the worst rail accident in Belgium since 1954. Altogether 18 people were confirmed dead, 55 badly hurt and 89 with minor injuries. Light snow was falling at the time. All train services on the line as well as nearby lines, including the Eurostar to and from [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
“At least” 18 people died on 15 February and nearly 60 were injured when two peak-hour Belgian electric commuter trains collided head-on at Buizingen, a suburb in south Brussels. It is thought one ran a red signal. Extensive damage was caused to track and overhead, resulting in widespread disruption, including long-distance services in Western Europe. [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
During January, a rodent that chewed through a one-inch high-voltage cable on Britain’s west coast main-line delayed 99 trains. Twenty services had to be cancelled. Network Rail has embarked on a two-year programme to strengthen the railway’s rodent defence system by laying armoured steel replacement cables. [ The journalist who reported this commented: Maybe some [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Peru’s popular tourist railway to Machu Picchu is to be closed for at least two months following torrential rain and mudslides. Late in January, many tourists were stranded after the line was washed away in eight places. Though the line is privately owned and operated, the government is to help with repairs. The train to [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Kevin Smith, reporting in the International Railway Journal (IRJ), has explained what went wrong beneath the English Channel on 18 December: “Extreme weather conditions in northern France caused five trains to malfunction inside the tunnel that evening. A ‘unique’ fine and dry snow is believed to have penetrated the power cars’ door screens and seals before [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Four days before Christmas, a Croatian passenger train from Sisak hit a concrete buffer and derailed at Zagreb Central station, injuring more than 50 people. A seven-member Croatian Railways committee is investigating the cause of the accident, together with police. . Marijan Klaric from Hrvatske Zeljeznice (HZ – the Croatian State Railway) told the [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 23 January, eight passengers died and 30 were injured when a five-coach Tehran-Mashhad turbo-train derailed at Azadwar station near the city of Sabzevar in Iran’s north eastern province of Khorassan Razavi. It is reported that four of the coaches overturned. Rahahane Djjomhouriye Eslami Iran (RAI – the Islamic Iranian Republic Railways) is investigating the [...] [...more]
