Lathen train collision
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Lathen train collision
| Lathen train collision | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 22 September 2006 |
| Time | 9:30 am |
| Location | Lathen, Lower Saxony |
| Country | Germany |
| Rail line | Lathen - Dörpen test track |
| Operator | Transrapid International |
| Type of incident | Collision |
| Cause | Human error |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 + MOW vehicle |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Injuries | 10 |
The Lathen train collision occurred on 22 September 2006 when a Transrapid magnetic levitation (or "maglev") train collided with a maintenance vehicle near Lathen, Germany, killing 23 people. This was the first ever fatal accident on a maglev train.
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Contents
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The Transrapid
The Transrapid 08 was still doing trial runs, but it did carry passengers along a 31.8-kilometre (19.8 mi) test track to demonstrate the maglev technology.[1] The Emsland test track runs from Lathen, near where the accident occurred, to Dörpen, with a loop at each end. Speeds of up to 450 km/h (280 mph) are reached on the test track.[1]
Maglev trains use powerful magnets to keep them just above the tracks. Currently the only Transrapid maglev in commercial operation is a Transrapid line in Shanghai, linking Pudong International Airport with the outskirts of the city.
The accident
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Wikinews has related news: Transrapid collision in Germany kills 23 |
The accident occurred on the morning of 22 September 2006 about 1 km (0.62 mi) away from Lathen on a section of elevated track at about 09:30 CEST.[1][2] A (wheeled) maintenance vehicle was moving on the tracks to check them for debris, and the Transrapid train hit the maintenance vehicle at approximately 200 km/h (125 mph), resulting in the partial derailment of the Transrapid and severe damage to both vehicles.[3] The roof of the train was partially sliced off and wreckage was spread over a 401 metre-long section of the track.[4]
There were twenty-three fatalities and ten severe injuries.[5] The passengers on the train were a combination of employees at Transrapid, workers from a nursing care company and workers from local utility company RWE.[3] The two-man crew of the maintenance vehicle were among the survivors.[4]
Emergency response
Firefighters used turntable ladders and aerial platforms to reach the wreckage, which was 4 metres (13 ft) above ground level.[4] 150 rescue personnel attended the scene.[4]
Immediate aftermath
Immediately after the accident, German transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee held an emergency meeting with representatives from Siemens AG and ThyssenKrupp, the two companies jointly responsible for the Transrapid. He commented afterwards that "major safety failings" were the clear cause of the accident, and that two key questions that required answers were "Whether the Transrapid's safety measures were adequate, and whether they were applied on the test track" where the accident took place.[6] He also promised an independent inquiry.[6]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel left a conference in Berlin in order to attend the scene.[7] Wu Xiangming, head of the Shanghai maglev project, also visited the scene.[6]
Investigation
German authorities conducted an investigation into the accident. Head of operators at the test track operator, IABG, Rudolf Schwarz said "This accident would not have been possible if all regulations were adhered to". According to IABG, the crew of the maintenance vehicle, which clears the test track of debris and dirt every morning, was supposed to call the line dispatcher by radio once the work was finished. German police, therefore, suspected human error as the likely cause of the accident. Prosecutors have obtained and examined radio transcripts from the vehicles involved.[1][3][4]
In May 2008, a court in the city of Osnabrück concluded that the tragedy was caused by a chain of human errors, including the failure to set an electronic braking system that would have prevented the train from operating while maintenance work was being carried out. Two staff members were found guilty on 23 counts of manslaughter and 11 counts of causing negligent injury, and were fined 24,000 and 20,000 euros respectively. A third defendant was unable to take part in the trial because of suicide fears.[8][9]
See also
- Eschede train disaster - high speed train crash in Germany in 1998
References
- ^ a b c d Deadly crash on German monorail - BBC - Obtained September 23, 2006.
- ^ 21 killed in magnetic train crash - CNN - Obtained October 27, 2007
- ^ a b c Magnetic Train Hit Vehicle - Sky News - Obtained September 23, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e '23 dead' in German maglev train accident - monstersandcritics.com - Obtained March 4, 2007.
- ^ NDR Online: Ermittlungen nach schwerem Transrapid-Unfall im Emsland - www1.ndr.de - Obtained September 23, 2006.
- ^ a b c German Minister Holds Emergency Talks Into Transrapid Train Crash - TerraDaily - Obtained March 4, 2007.
- ^ German maglev train crash leaves at least 23 dead - The Taipei Times - Obtained March 4, 2007.
- ^ Parkin, Brian (2008-05-23). "German Court Fines Two Transrapid Supervisors After Fatal Crash". Bloomberg L.P.. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aOU9MgAJN2eY&refer=germany. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ "Two convicted for German Transrapid deaths". Independent Online (South Africa). 2008-05-23. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=nw20080523135139829C924090. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
External links
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