02.06.2020 Two dead as AVE crushed a car plummets from overpass to the track

[Gostav]

The original news is Spanish from https://www.laopiniondezamora.es/za...os-choque-tren-alvia-todoterreno/1247749.html

Dos personas fallecidas y siete heridos de diversa consideración. Ese ha sido el balance del descarrilamiento del tren Alvia registrado ayer en las inmediaciones de la base de La Hiniesta. El suceso se produjo a las 16.11 horas, cuando la máquina chocó contra un vehículo todoterreno que previamente se había precipitado desde el paso elevado situado en la carretera ZA-P-1405. Fruto del impacto, la locomotora quebró y se quedó detenida en el sentido contrario de la marcha, mientras que el resto de vagones sufrieron la salida de los raíles, sin llegar a volcar en ningún momento. El conductor del coche, de 89 años de edad, murió en el acto, mientras que minutos después lo hacía uno de los dos maquinistas que cubrían el trayecto. Estaba de prácticas y tenía 32 años.

Las circunstancias que envuelven el suceso continúan bajo investigación. Según aportan diferentes fuentes, el vehículo causante del accidente se habría precipitado por el paso elevado sobre la vía un tiempo prudencial antes de que se produjera el choque. De acuerdo con los datos proporcionados por Adif, el todoterreno "se quedó parado en el guardarraíl, cayó a la vía férrea y fue arrollado al paso del tren". En ese tramo, según ha confirmado Renfe, el tren viajaba a 115 kilómetros por hora. A esa velocidad, la locomotora "se dobló por completo", como así apuntó sobre el terreno Javier Izquierdo, delegado del Gobierno en Castilla y León que quiso acudir al lugar del siniestro para interesarse por sus causas.



La locomotora fue la que se llevó la peor parte del impacto y sus ocupantes tuvieron que ser excarcelados por los bomberos de Zamora. En la colisión resultaron heridos el maquinista titular y el maquinista en prácticas, siendo ambos atendidos en el lugar de los hechos. Este último fallecía minutos después a pesar de los intentos de reanimación por parte de los equipos médicos. El titular, por su parte, fue trasladado en ambulancia al hospital Virgen de la Concha y trasladado posteriormente a Salamanca en estado grave.

El resto del pasaje, hasta 158 viajeros según la información proporcionada por Renfe, fue evacuado de sus vagones y puesto a salvo junto a la base de La Hiniesta. Tan solo hubo que atender a seis de ellos, todos por incidencias relacionadas con "latigazos cervicales y cuadros de ansiedad", según las autoridades.

El ministro de Fomento, José Luis Ábalos, ofrece el pésame a las familias

Pocos minutos después de la colisión, la base de La Hiniesta se convirtió en un importante centro de operaciones con despliegue de sanitarios de_Sacyl y Cruz Roja, Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional, Policía Municipal, bomberos y Protección Civil. Los equipos médicos atendieron sobre el terreno a los pocos pasajeros que presentaban quejas. Igualmente, hasta el lugar de los hechos se desplazaron el subdelegado del Gobierno, Ángel_Blanco; la delegada territorial de la Junta, Clara San Damián; y el presidente de la Diputación Provincial, Francisco José Requejo.

El delegado del Gobierno en la Junta, Javier Izquierdo, hizo lo propio al filo de las siete de la tarde y desde allí quiso mandar un mensaje de ánimo a las familias de los fallecidos. Una disposición compartida posteriormente por el ministro de Fomento, José Luis Ábalos. "El descarrilamiento del Alvia Ferrol-Madrid, que se ha producido entre Carbajales e Hiniesta (Zamora), por colisión con un vehículo que ha caído desde un paso elevado a la vía, ha provocado el fallecimiento del conductor y de unos de los maquinistas. Mi pésame para sus familias", declaraba a través de sus redes sociales. Por su parte, el presidente de la Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, estuvo en permanente contacto con Fomento y Emergencias y también tuvo palabras para las familias de los fallecidos.

Tras el accidente, el servicio ferroviario entre Madrid y Galicia quedó interrumpido y sin fecha de puesta en marcha, como así confirmó Javier Izquierdo en su comparecencia ante los periodistas a pie de siniestro. Los pasajeros fueron trasladados en autobús hasta la estación de tren de Zamora para continuar su trayecto hacia los diferentes puntos de destino. Al caer la tarde, en el lugar de los hechos tan solo aguardaban los encargados de levantar el cadáver del conductor del vehículo, vecino de Palacios del Pan, así como su familia.

I used Google Translate to translated the news to English

Two deceased people and seven wounded of different consideration. That has been the balance of the derailment of the Alvia train recorded yesterday in the vicinity of the La Hiniesta base. The event occurred at 16.11 hours, when the machine collided with an off-road vehicle that had previously fallen from the overpass located on the ZA-P-1405 road. As a result of the impact, the locomotive broke and was stopped in the opposite direction of the march, while the rest of the wagons suffered the departure of the rails, without ever overturning. The 89-year-old driver of the car died on the spot, while minutes later one of the two machinists who covered the route did so. I was practicing and I was 32 years old.

The circumstances surrounding the event are still under investigation. According to different sources, the vehicle causing the accident would have been precipitated by the overpass on the road a reasonable time before the crash occurred. According to the data provided by Adif, the SUV "remained standing on the guardrail, fell onto the railway and was hit by the train." In this section, as Renfe has confirmed, the train traveled at 115 kilometers per hour. At that speed, the locomotive "completely doubled over," as Javier Izquierdo, government delegate in Castilla y León, who wanted to go to the scene of the accident to take an interest in its causes, pointed out on the ground.

The locomotive was the one that took the worst part of the impact and its occupants had to be released from prison by the Zamora firefighters. In the collision, the driver and the driver in practice were injured, both being treated at the scene. The latter died minutes later despite attempts at resuscitation by medical teams. The owner, meanwhile, was transferred by ambulance to the Virgen de la Concha hospital and later transferred to Salamanca in serious condition.

The rest of the passage, up to 158 passengers, according to the information provided by Renfe, was evacuated from their wagons and put to safety next to the La Hiniesta base. Only six of them had to be seen, all for incidents related to "whiplash and anxiety pictures," according to authorities.

The Minister of Public Works, José Luis Ábalos, offers condolences to families

A few minutes after the collision, the La Hiniesta base became an important operations center with deployment of de_Sacyl and Red Cross toilets, Civil Guard, National Police, Municipal Police, fire and Civil Protection. Medical teams attended the few passengers with complaints on the spot. Likewise, the Government's sub-delegate, Ángel_Blanco, traveled to the scene of the events; the territorial delegate of the Board, Clara San Damián; and the president of the Provincial Deputation, Francisco José Requejo.

The Government delegate in the Board, Javier Izquierdo, did the same at the edge of seven in the afternoon and from there wanted to send a message of encouragement to the families of the deceased. A provision subsequently shared by the Minister of Public Works, José Luis Ábalos. "The derailment of the Alvia Ferrol-Madrid, which has occurred between Carbajales and Hiniesta (Zamora), due to a collision with a vehicle that has fallen from an overpass onto the road, has caused the death of the driver and one of the drivers. My condolences to their families, "he declared through his social networks. For his part, the President of the Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, was in permanent contact with Fomento y Emergencias and also had words for the families of the deceased.

After the accident, the railway service between Madrid and Galicia was interrupted and without a start date, as confirmed by Javier Izquierdo in his appearance before the journalists at the foot of the accident. The passengers were transferred by bus to the Zamora train station to continue their journey to the different destination points. At dusk, only those in charge of removing the body of the driver of the vehicle, a neighbor of Palacios del Pan, as well as his family were waiting at the scene.

There are have photos on https://www.laopiniondezamora.es/mu...020-06-02-186184-accidente-tren-hiniesta.html showing the terrible accident scene.

There is a video from RT en Español

 

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The detail of the report isn't completely clear, but the AVE/Alvia seems to be the same type (Renfe class 730) as the one involved in the Santiago de Compostela accident in 2013.
It mentions it was a Ferrol-Madrid service via Zamora, so that would make it the heavy (double-set) bi-mode train with diesel power cars behind the electric power cars.
I think Zamora is where the traction is system is changed for the high-speed run to Madrid Chamartín, the diesels having powered the train over the mountains from Ourense.
It looks like this was an accident not of the railway's making, but we will get the full story in due course.
The speed was relatively low (115km/h = 71mph), so might have been on the diesel section.
It does nothing to improve Renfe's shaky safety record.
I travelled on the train in 2015, when the traction change took place at Medina del Campo; the high-speed line is now available from Zamora.
From Ourense it's normally a monster train of 22 vehicles (2 sets, with 4 diesel power packs in the consist), the two sets originating from Ferrol and Vigo.
The future use of these sets is limited with the spread of high-speed lines which will eliminate the sections of diesel working, including Ourense-Zamora.

PS Just checked the map and the accident site was 7 miles west of Zamora, so the train would still be on diesel power.