Posted on 30 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Though train passengers do not usually sustain injury in level crossing collisions, 19 were reported hurt – one critically – at Sewage Works Lane near Sudbury in Suffolk, UK on 17 August 2010. The train driver and guard were also injured. Train 2T27, the 17:31 from Sudbury to Marks Tey, struck the trailer of a [...] [...more]
Posted on 20 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 13 August 2010, a serious runaway occurred on the London Underground’s Northern Line. A self-propelled diesel-powered rail re-profiler had been working between Highgate and Archway stations on the southbound track during the night of 12/13 August. At the end of grinding operations, the crew was unable to restart the power unit. Despatched to assist, [...] [...more]
Posted on 02 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
One 64-year-old person was killed and about 40 were hurt, “at least” 12 seriously, when the Zermatt-Chur Glacier Express derailed in the Swiss Alps. Many of the 200 passengers, including the fatality, were Japanese tourists. Three first-class coaches at the rear of the train left the rails and two tipped over at around midday while [...] [...more]
Posted on 25 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 10 July, a heat wave was blamed for air-conditioning failure in three high-tech Deutsche Bahn (DB) ICE trains, westbound from Berlin in Germany. Passengers were described as being “near collapse” in temperatures as high as 50°Celsius, as the coach windows cannot be opened. Eight people were hospitalised with heat exhaustion and a further 44 [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Damage to rolling stock, track and cargo estimated at $US970,000 resulted when five wagons in a freight train from Gummern, Austria to Kostrzyn, Poland jumped the track near Augsburg on the main line from Munich to Berlin. The key north-south passenger route through the country was disrupted for several hours. According to press reports, it [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
A high-speed train passing through Castelldefels Playa station near Barcelona on 24 June ran into a group of young people crossing the tracks, according to a BBC report. “At least” 12 were killed and 14 others injured while crossing the line on the level instead of using a subway. “The Interior Ministry of Catalonia said [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
An important rail bridge collapsed during heavy weather in Norfolk, Nebraska, cutting access to industrial plants in the town. During a tour by industry leaders and officials to inspect the damage, Nucor Steel general manager and vice president Dirk Petersen said what had happened was devastating to the community and the industries of Norfolk as [...] [...more]
Posted on 18 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is looking into the derailment of two out of five runaway wagons in a siding at Ashburys, Manchester at about 00:25 on 4 May 2010. Five wagons, parked in a siding, loaded with stone, ran away and travelled 890 metres before trap-points derailed the leading two wagons and brought [...] [...more]
Posted on 18 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is looking into a derailment at about 20:55 on Sunday 6 June 2010, involving the 18:20 from Glasgow Queen Street to Oban. The train comprised a two-car class 156 diesel multiple-unit operated by the First ScotRail company, carrying approximately 60 passengers and three crew. A short distance west of [...] [...more]
Posted on 14 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On 6 June, a multiple-unit diesel passenger train from Glasgow to Oban derailed after dark near the Falls of Cruachan. The driver said he applied emergency brakes on seeing “two huge rocks on the track. “He stayed at the controls until the train came to rest after the derailment, then walked back to calm passengers [...] [...more]
Posted on 07 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
A collision avoidance technique based on short-distance train-to-train transmission is under test at the Wegberg-Wildenrath test centre near Düsseldorf in Gernamy. The trials are being led by aerospace research agency Deutches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), which is providing researchers from its institutes for transportation systems and robotics & mechatronics. DLR partnered with train [...] [...more]
Posted on 14 May 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Train runaways don’t only happen at Centurion. On 24 March, three dock workers were killed when 16 wagons broke loose at a freight terminal in Oslo, Norway and careened downhill for 5km. Derailing, they slammed into a building. The Norwegian Accident Investigation Board blames both terminal workers and railway officials for the accident, citing their [...] [...more]
