At least eleven dead as French TGV test train derails near Strasbourg - 14 November 2015

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

A high-speed TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) train has derailed near the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing at least seven people, officials say.

The crash happened during a test run in the town of Eckwersheim, on a new Paris-Strasbourg line.
Reports say technicians were on board the train and seven people were injured.

The injured have been taken to hospital by helicopters.

The AFP news agency quotes the Alsace regional prefecture as saying the derailment happened due to "excessive speed".

Pictures later showed the locomotive partly submerged in a canal alongside the track. Wreckage was also scattered in a field beside the track.

Rescue teams - including divers - are working at the scene.
Reports say the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed line is scheduled to open next year.

Transport Secretary Alain Vidalies and Ecology Minister Segolene Royal will visit the scene, French media reported.

[TonyK]

Later reports say "at least" 10 people have died, from 49 on board. This was a test run on a newly constructed line between Paris and Strasbourg.

[broadgage]

Very sad  

I hope that this is a "normal" railway accident and not related to yesterdays terrorist attacks in Paris.

The fact that some form of test or trial was underway, rather than a scheduled passenger service, does suggest an accident perhaps whilst travelling at a greater speed than would be permitted normally.

[stuving]

Looking at the aerial picture in this report, an explanation in terms of "too fast for the curve" looks all to plausible. Whether that means a test run intentionally at higher speed than will be permitted later is another matter; the investigation will tell us that.

The other factor is that the front of the train is reported to have struck the bridge parapet, explaining the violence of the impact and how far the carriages have been thrown sideways.

Correction: other reports say the train was going toward Strasbourg, making this a right-hand bend - so most of the train kept going straight on and has jumped across the canal.

Inevitably this was not a major news item - there's just too much news today.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Inevitably this was not a major news item - there's just too much news today.

Indeed: a very sad day in France today. 

As one of our members now says in his footer text: "Je suis un Parisien." 

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

French TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) high-speed train derails near Strasbourg


The locomotive plunged into a canal alongside the track after derailing

A high-speed TGV train has derailed near the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing at least 10 people, officials say.

The crash happened during a test run in the town of Eckwersheim, on a new Paris-Strasbourg line.

The train was carrying 49 people when it derailed, caught fire, and plunged into a canal. The injured were airlifted to hospital.

The derailment was due to "excessive speed", officials say.

Pictures showed the locomotive partly submerged. Wreckage was also scattered in a field beside the track.

Reports say the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed line is scheduled to open next year.

Junior transport minister Alain Vidalies and Ecology Minister Segolene Royal will visit the scene, French media reported.

[stuving]

Latest TV report says that in addition to 10 confirmed deaths, there are 12 seriously injured and 5 still missing when the underwater search was suspended for the night. There were 49 aboard, including the families of some railway staff - this run was seen as marking the end of the testing phase. However, it was described doing "elevated speed" tests, and 350 km/hr was quoted but I still find it hard to believe that's possible for this curve (and it came from S^gol^ne Royale, who has a record of mis-speaking).

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

France TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) crash: Children on board derailed train

Several children were on board when a high-speed train derailed during a test run in France, killing 11 people, the rail company SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) has said.

Five people are still missing and more than 30 were injured in the TGV crash near the eastern city of Strasbourg.

Investigators are trying to determine who the children are and why they were on board when access was meant to be restricted to technicians.

It is not clear whether children were among the dead.

"That's not a practice that the SNCF recognises," said company chief Guillaume Pepy. "A test train is a test train".

SNCF said it was possible that railway workers' children were on board when the train crashed, reportedly at around 350km/h (217mph).

Excessive speed has been blamed for the crash, the first fatal accident since TGV trains began operating in 1981.

The train ended up partially submerged in a canal under a bridge.


The train ended up in a canal


It is the first fatal crash involving a TGV in more than three decades


Officials say excessive speed was to blame


Investigators are trying to determine why children were on board

[TonyK]

I read a French report last night, which was more detailed. That suggested that the test crew had taken family members on what was the final test run. It did not say whether or not SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) had sanctioned this.

[stuving]

The test phase using this instrumented TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse)-Est train started at the end of September and runs to the end of the year, so is only about half-way through. This first part is described as proving the line at increasing speed, from 160 km/hr up to the full train and line speed of 320 km/hr and then 10% higher (352 km/hr; hence the figure of 350 km/hr that has been quoted). The site of the derailment is on a curve with a radius of about 1.3 km and just over 1 km from where it joins the existing "classic" line for the run into Strasbourg.

The five "missing" persons are now believed not to have been on board, so the casualty number is as in that last report: 11 killed and 5 still critically ill in hospital. One of those killed was a child, and their presence has still not been explained. Other reports suggest this kind of "treat" was common practice, though unofficial. If the tests have in fact reached full speed, that might seem to be the end of testing the track for faults - leaving things like the signalling and power supplies, and running over every piece of trackwork in every direction. Incidentally, on the LGV^▸ (Large Goods Vehicle) trains run on the left, so this run was in reverse. (Trains in Alsace run on the right, so the junction just ahead has to accommodate this switch.)

The investigators (SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways), BEA-TT and gendarmerie) have recovered the train's data recorders, though presumably the signalling system will know its position and speed. The line is equipped with ETCS^▸ (European Train Control System)/ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.), but may not be using it at this stage; it also has the older TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) 430 system. BEA-TT do not usually give the same kind of full statement of facts at the start of an inquiry that RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) does. However, for serious accidents like this one, SNCF will probably do something similar in a few days, and that should give the actual speed and the limit for this curve.

According to le Parisien, citing the no. 2 of SNCF R^seau, the speed limit for this bridge is 176 km/hr. They also quote Guillame Pepy as saying that these tests are run with some of the safety systems turned off.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Incidentally, on the LGV^▸ (Large Goods Vehicle) trains run on the left, so this run was in reverse. (Trains in Alsace run on the right, so the junction just ahead has to accommodate this switch.)

There's a schematic diagram of this flying junction at http://florent.brisou.pagesperso-orange.fr/LGVEE2.pdf, down in the bottom right corner.

[Tim]

Very Sad.  Lets wait until the investigation.  My suspicion is that they were doing something that they would not be doing in normal passenger service.

[ChrisB]

With kids on board.

[Tim]

With kids on board.

I'm not sure what to think about that.

Presumably, test trains are not regarded as risky. If they were adults wouldn't be on them either (certainly not 49 of them).  Rail engineers are not, in general  reckless people and these are supposed to be safe, controlled tests.  I don't think that there are categories of tests that have a level of risk that is acceptable for 40 odd adults but unacceptable for the children of those adults.  If there is a derailment risk then the test is not safe for anyone to be on board.

You can be sure that kids will be banned in future which is a shame because it will prevent parents sharing their pride in their work with their families.     

[LiskeardRich]

It is known These test trains have been running 10% over speed limits with safety equipment off so as it is possible to run at limit plus 10%. The speed at derailment is not confirmed, but the speed limit at location is 160 kph, so plus 10% 176kph. This was around about the 200th test, and all the previous tests ran successfully at the plus 10%.

The train involved was the French version of our NMT train, what kind of staffing does the NMT run with?

The 5 still missing in the above report the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) are now saying are accounted for and weren't actually on the train, but others may have been due to the "extra guests".