Belgian train crash kills at least twenty

[Royston Vasey]

From the Independent/Associated Press:

Belgian train crash kills at least twenty

AP

Monday, 15 February 2010

At least twenty people were killed when two commuter trains collided head-on during morning rush-hour today, officials in Belgium said.

Dirk Pieters, the mayor of Buizingen, a town outside Brussels, said "the most recent information we have is that 20 people died".
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He said he had received the reports from emergency officials on the scene south-west of Brussels.

The trains collided in snowy conditions in the commuter town at about 8.30am(0730 GMT).

Kristien Berckmans, a Belgian railways spokeswoman, said "there was considerable damage and several people were injured".

There was no immediate information on the cause of the crash.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgian-train-crash-kills-at-least-twenty-1899889.html

Some images have emerged already on Twitter:

http://twitpic.com/13dg7z
http://twitpic.com/13dg69

 

[Mojo]

Do Eurostar trains run on this line as well, as they have suspended their Brussels services?

 

[Oswyntail]

From BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8515855.stm

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Looks pretty bad, it says at leat 10 -to- 25 people have been killed, although the passengers in that report said that they was travelling slow, but to me pretty bad reckage.

 

[90019]

although the passengers in that report said that they was travelling slow, but to me pretty bad reckage.

To get damage like that from a head on collision of two trains doesn't require a lot of speed., especially when they're both moving.

 

[marku51]

Do Eurostar trains run on this line as well, as they have suspended their Brussels services?

At this point the Eurostar/TGV Right of Way is still separate from the lines that stop in the station, but it is near this station that they join the regular mainline and run parallel into Brussels. It sounds like there is damage to the overhead infrastructure, which would have an impact on the other lines in the area. I think that the whole line south west out of Brussels is closed, which would mean that the Eurostar/TGV line is closed as it runs alongside the traditional lines until Halle.

 

[Royston Vasey]

At this point the Eurostar/TGV Right of Way is still separate from the lines that stop in the station, but it is near this station that they join the regular mainline and run parallel into Brussels. It sounds like there is damage to the overhead infrastructure, which would have an impact on the other lines in the area. I think that the whole line south west out of Brussels is closed, which would mean that the Eurostar/TGV line is closed as it runs alongside the traditional lines until Halle.

From www.bbc.co.uk

 

[marku51]

Thanks, that map explains it better than I can.

 

[gordonthemoron]

amazingly, the eurostar website gives information of how to travel between Lille and Brussels on local trains via Gent and Kortrijk

 

[Royston Vasey]

Thanks, that map explains it better than I can.

Not at all, it is useful to know how integrated the two lines are.

The Daily Mail has a very full report with images.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1251139/Brussels-train-crash-leaves-25-dead-halts-Eurostar.html

This im,age from the same article shows that there appears to be little left of this leading coach:

 

[Aictos]

Well FCC paged out a message this morning to staff advising no Eurostars were running to Belgium, didn't realise it was that bad.

 

[marku51]

This im,age from the same article shows that there appears to be little left of this leading coach:

Looking at the other photos in that article it looks like the leading coach was ripped in half--this half remaining with the train, and the other half pushed along by the other train, trailing debris.

 

[poshbakerloo]

Looks like the kind of damage from out old MK1 stock!

 

[subway156]

We saw this on CNN or here. Those cars look old and beaten. But I know they said it was operator error for running a red. This is the type of situation that makes people ask questions about what the operator was doing at the time of an indiscretion. I hope it was just an accident and not the result of something else. It's a shame that people had to perish.

 

[90019]

Those cars look old and beaten.

I think some of them are almost 50 years old now.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Looks like the kind of damage from out old MK1 stock!

I think some of them are almost 50 years old now.

That certainly occurred to me. It is significant, and a little bit lucky perhaps, that UK rail accidents in recent times have involved Mk IIIs, Mk IVs, Networkers and a Pendolino, and vehicles have performed generally very well. There have been occasional coaches utterly destroyed such as the worst of the Mk IIIs at Southall, but only as a result of an end-on collision at >100 mph.

Anyone know what the line speed is here? What is likely to have been the closing speed of the two trains?

 

[gordonthemoron]

Belgian trains never seem to travel that fast

 

[transportphoto]

Thoughts should be with Those of the Family's of the dead passengers / staff.

 

[SWT Driver]

I agree, thoughts & sympathies to those who lost friends & relatives and for those who've had to deal with the aftermath.

 

[gordonthemoron]

strange, differing reports from Eurostar & Thalys

Eurostar say that the line is closed at least until 21st Feb, no trains running to Brussels

Thalys say line will be reopened on 26th Feb. However, trains have already been reinstated between Paris & Brussels but with an extra 30 mins journey time. Presumably Thalys trains are avoiding the crash scene?

 

[Aussie_Rail]

That train was badly graffitied, I guess they wont have to worry about scrubbing that off now.

 

[Old Timer]

The rolling stock was finally fully recovered today by 1626hrs, two says earlier than originally planned.

Thalys services are running from Amsterdam to Brussels with diversions between Brussels and Paris.

Only pre-booked tickets with reservations allowed on Thalys.

There is a replacement bus from Brussels to Lille covering Eurostars.

RESUMP expected start of services on Monday.

Incidentally there was another SPAD on SNCB today, currrent total is running at a rate of 117 per year.

 

[A60K]

Incidentally there was another SPAD on SNCB today, currrent total is running at a rate of 117 per year.

That's pretty alarming when compared to 277 in the whole of the UK last year. Obviously it depends on what category those SPADs were, but for a relatively small network - I would guess SNCB runs probably about the same number of trains daily as the Southern Region operators put together - it sounds like there is scope for serious improvement?

 

[gordonthemoron]

went past the crash site on E* last friday. All the train carriages are still there. The two leading vehicles are on their side on freight wagons with the cabs covered in tarpaulin, the rest of the coaches have been rerailed and are sitting in sidings.