Brühl train disaster
Encyclopedia
The Brühl train disaster happened on 6 February 2000 in the Brühl
, Germany, railway station on the West Rhine railway. A train negotiated a low speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed, killing 9 people.
At the time of the accident, the Brühl railway station was a minor station on the double-tracked
West Rhine railway line with one passing siding
each on both sides of the through tracks. The station is equipped for limited bi-directional running: the passing sidings had exit signals on both ends, while the through tracks had exit signals only for the main direction. Therefore, a train passing the station on the opposite track had to go through the passing siding, unless a specific written order was issued.
The through tracks are rated for operation at 160 km/h (100 mph), while the switches
into the passing sidings are rated for 40 km/h (25 mph).
On the night of the accident, the track running south was closed for maintenance work in the Brühl Güterbahnhof (Brühl goods/freight station) north of the passenger station. Trains going south switched to the opposite track at Hürth Kalscheuren. Since the entry signal of Brühl could only show green-yellow (Hp2) aspect when the route switches to the main signals in the Güterbahnhof part (the opposite track didn't have any "destination signal" from the view of the tower like the other tracks have), all trains on the left track received a substitute signal Zs1, limiting the speed to 40 km/h till the next main signal. The engineers' paperwork that night contained two slow order
s:
Before the accident, several trains had passed the construction site as well as the passing track at Brühl without incident, despite the possibly conflicting speed restrictions.
When train D 203 “Schweiz-Express” Amsterdam–Basel entered the station area, the engineer had slowed the train to 40 km/h as required. He then accelerated the train to 90 km/h. After clearing the construction site, he accelerated further. When the train reached the switch into the passing siding, it was travelling at 122 km/h, three times the speed the switch was designed for. The locomotive derailed and slid down the embankment into a house. Some coaches followed the locomotive, while others slid over the platform and crashed into the support beams of the platform roof. Of the train's 300 passengers, 9 died and 149 were injured.
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Brühl, North Rhine-Westphalia
Brühl is a town in the Rhineland of Germany. It is located in Rhein-Erft-Kreis, 20 km south of Cologne city center and at the edge of Naturpark Kottenforst-Ville Nature Reserve.-History:...
, Germany, railway station on the West Rhine railway. A train negotiated a low speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed, killing 9 people.
At the time of the accident, the Brühl railway station was a minor station on the double-tracked
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
West Rhine railway line with one passing siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
each on both sides of the through tracks. The station is equipped for limited bi-directional running: the passing sidings had exit signals on both ends, while the through tracks had exit signals only for the main direction. Therefore, a train passing the station on the opposite track had to go through the passing siding, unless a specific written order was issued.
The through tracks are rated for operation at 160 km/h (100 mph), while the switches
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
into the passing sidings are rated for 40 km/h (25 mph).
On the night of the accident, the track running south was closed for maintenance work in the Brühl Güterbahnhof (Brühl goods/freight station) north of the passenger station. Trains going south switched to the opposite track at Hürth Kalscheuren. Since the entry signal of Brühl could only show green-yellow (Hp2) aspect when the route switches to the main signals in the Güterbahnhof part (the opposite track didn't have any "destination signal" from the view of the tower like the other tracks have), all trains on the left track received a substitute signal Zs1, limiting the speed to 40 km/h till the next main signal. The engineers' paperwork that night contained two slow order
Slow order
A slow order is a local speed restriction on a rail line which is set below the track's normal speed limit.Slow orders are usually imposed by railway dispatchers for sections of track that are in some way deficient, or when there is a requirement to perform maintenance on a section of railway.Slow...
s:
- 120 km/h for the track running north, irrelevant to trains on this track running south because of the speed limit imposed by the substitute signal
- 90 km/h for the track running south, relevant for the time after construction would be finished and valid only for the regular (right) track where the work took place.
Before the accident, several trains had passed the construction site as well as the passing track at Brühl without incident, despite the possibly conflicting speed restrictions.
When train D 203 “Schweiz-Express” Amsterdam–Basel entered the station area, the engineer had slowed the train to 40 km/h as required. He then accelerated the train to 90 km/h. After clearing the construction site, he accelerated further. When the train reached the switch into the passing siding, it was travelling at 122 km/h, three times the speed the switch was designed for. The locomotive derailed and slid down the embankment into a house. Some coaches followed the locomotive, while others slid over the platform and crashed into the support beams of the platform roof. Of the train's 300 passengers, 9 died and 149 were injured.
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