Hermalle-sous-Huy train collision

Hermalle-sous-Huy train collision

AM96 unit 461 was at the rear of the passenger train that collided with the freight train.
Location within Belgium
Date 5 June 2016
Time 23:03 (CEST)
Location Hermalle-sous-Huy, Belgium
Coordinates 50°33′40″N 5°20′37″E / 50.56111°N 5.34361°E / 50.56111; 5.34361
Country Belgium
Rail line Liège–Namur railway line
Operator SNCB
Type of incident Rear-end collision
Cause Under investigation
Statistics
Trains 2
Passengers 40
Deaths 3
Injuries 36 (9 serious)
Damage Two carriages and a wagon severely damaged. 15 metres (16 yd) track and 50 metres (55 yd) sleepers damaged

The Hermalle-sous-Huy train collision was a collision between a passenger train and a goods train in Hermalle-sous-Huy, Belgium, on 5 June 2016. At least three people were killed and 36 others were injured.

The crash

The crash occurred at 23:03 CEST (21:03 UTC),[1] when the passenger train crashed into the rear of the goods train while the two trains were on the same line.[2][3] Three people were killed and nine more people were seriously injured. Twenty-seven others were treated for wounds at the scene.[3] The driver of the passenger train was one of the victims.[4] All on board had been rescued from the train by 02:00 on 6 June.[5] Those less seriously injured were taken to Flône Abbey,[1] or a nearby sports centre.[5] The passenger train comprised two SNCB Class AM96 electric multiple units.[1] It was travelling from Mouscron to Liers via Namur and Liège. The freight train had about 30 wagons in its consist.[6]

The front two carriages were severely damaged.[4] Unit 461 was at the rear of the train.[5] It had about 40 passengers on board. The passenger train was travelling at about 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph) when it ran into the rear of the freight train,[7] which was either stationary,[6] or travelling at 10 to 15 kilometres per hour (6 to 9 mph).[4] It was reported that an earlier lightning strike had caused disruption on the Liège–Namur railway line.[8] A signal fault had been reported at 21:30, but was said to have been cleared at the time of the accident.[7] Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted his condolences to the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.[9] He and King Philippe visited the site of the accident on 6 June.[4]

Following the accident, it was revealed that the line was not equipped with the TBL 1+ signalling system, which is capable of automatic brake application if a train passes a red signal. This system was introduced following the Buizingen train crash in 2011.[10]

The train event recorders of the passenger train were recovered from the wreckage on 8 June in an apparently undamaged condition.[11] Infrabel stated that repairs to the tracks to allow single-line working for intercity trains would be completed by 8 June, with local trains being replaced by buses. It was intended that all track repairs would be completed by the evening of 9 June,[12] which was achieved. Normal service resumed that day. Damage to the track required the repacement of 15 metres (16 yd) of rail and 50 metres (55 yd) of sleepers.[13]

Investigation

The Railway Accident and Incident Investigation Unit of the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport opened an investigation into the accident.[14]

The train event recorder revealed that the driver of the train passed a signal displaying a double yellow (caution) aspect.[lower-alpha 1] However, he only started to brake when the freight train came in sight. The investigation is ongoing.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ A double yellow signal means that the signal ahead is showing a red (danger) aspect. See Belgian railway signalling for further details.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Grave accident de trains à Saint-Georges: 3 morts, 9 blessés et " une scène abominable "" [Serious train accident in Saint-Georges: 3 dead, 9 wounded and "an abominable scene"] (in French). L'Avenir. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "Collision entre deux trains à Hermalle-sous-Huy: trois morts et une quarantaine de blessés" [Two trains collided in Hermalle-sous-Huy: three dead and forty wounded] (in French). Le Soir. Retrieved 6 June 2016..
  3. 1 2 "At least 3 dead, 40 injured as two trains collide in Belgium – reports". rt.com. Russia Today. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Thys, John. "Belgium probes deadly train crash, at least three killed". Yahoo News. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Hartley-Parkinson, Richard. "Three dead and 40 injured after train crashes into back of freight train". Metro. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Treinbestuurder en 2 passagiers omgekomen bij treinongeval in Wallonië" [Train driver and two passengers killed in train crash in Wallonia] (in Dutch). De Redactie. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Three dead and nine injured in Belgium train crash". BBC News Online. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Drie doden bij treinongeval Luik" [Three dead in train crash in Liège] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Charles Michel [CharlesMichel] (6 June 2016). "(untitled)" (Tweet) (in French) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ "Accident de trains à Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse : le système de signalisation était-il équipé du système de sécurité TBL1 +?" [Train accident in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse: was the signaling system equipped with security system TBL1 +?] (in French). L'Avenir. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Accident de trains: la boîte noire du train de voyageurs retrouvée" [train crash: black box recovered from passenger train] (in French). L'Avenir. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Accident de trains à Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse : le trafic relancé ce mercredi ?" [Train accident in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse: the resumed traffic on Wednesday?] (in French). L'Avenir. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  13. 1 2 "'Bestuurder merkte dubbel geel licht op'" [Driver commented double yellow light on] (in Dutch). De Standaard. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Botsingen" [Collisions] (in Dutch). Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.