Coupling Pole comes through floor of Brussels Tram

[OwlMan]

A coupling pole came through the floor of a Bruseels tram - see below

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/News/1.2831905

Pole crashes through tram floor

Kris Hendrickx/Bruzz

Wed 30/11/2016 - 10:20 CDC Two people were injured when a metal post bored through the floor of a tram in Brussels on Tuesday night.
The news website Bruzz reports that the incident happened on a tram using a premetro tunnel between the South Station and Bara. A member of the Bruzz team was on board the tram when the incident happened. Passengers immediately jumped out of the way when the post came through the tram floor. Two people sustained light injuries including facial injuries. Both were taken to hospital.
The transport company MIVB says that the pole is usually used to tow away broken down trams and had come loose. All trams are equipped with similar posts that are stored underneath the vehicle and can be used to tow away another tram.
MIVB's Cindy Arents told Bruzz: "The pole must have got stuck in a tram rail and was shunted into the tram. It's a very rare occurrence. The last time this happened was two decades ago."

 

[Bletchleyite]

Now there's a different approach to H&S...the UK approach would be to find out why and change the design, the Belgian one "well, it's rare so don't worry about it".

 

[duesselmartin]

Belgian solutions seem always the pragmatic type Seen a digger lifted by a crane to demolish the top floor of a house! The facebook group "Belgian Solutions" always shows nice quick fix jobs!

 

[EAD]

Lucky it was not worse. I used to quite enjoy standing there over the bogie on the old trams when I lived in Brussels (and often there was not much choice if busy).

 

[Groningen]

Reminds me some what of the Eschede accident in Germany. A part of the wheel entered the train after it fell apart. Not one time, but twice and that second one went completely upstairs to the ceiling.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Reminds me some what of the Eschede accident in Germany. A part of the wheel entered the train after it fell apart. Not one time, but twice and that second one went completely upstairs to the ceiling.

I think the second was actually a guard rail from a set of points

 

[Groningen]

Yes; also thought it was the tracks. I have my view from Wikipedia; maybe i am mixing one with the other.

Source: FAZ

 

[edwin_m]

I think the second was actually a guard rail from a set of points

At Eschede the tyre came off the wheel some time before the accident and part of it penetrated the floor, but nobody thought to have the train stopped. The damaged wheel remained on the rail until the next set of points when it led the whole train into derailment, which most unfortunately brought a bridge down which the rear part of the train then ploughed into. It may have sent a piece of rail from the points through the floor too, but by then it was far too late to prevent the bridge impact.

 

[duesselmartin]

rather if an object smashing through the floor is not a reason to stop?
How many minutes / seconds were between that incident and the derailment?

 

[185]

I believe that was down to the lack of pass-coms (emergency stop chain, communication chord) in this new world where trains can never be late.

A customer went to locate the guard three (ish?) coaches down.
The guard walked with the customer back three coaches down.

Too late by that time.

Should have learnt lessons from Japan after the overspeed derailment caused by "punctuality-first" - stuff safety, that causes delays innit.

 

[edwin_m]

rather if an object smashing through the floor is not a reason to stop?

I agree, I'm sure I'd have been running to the passcom even if nobody else did!

That one in Brussels could easily have been fatal if the bar came through the floor at any sort of speed and if somebody had been standing in the wrong place.

 

[jon0844]

Now there's a different approach to H&S...the UK approach would be to find out why and change the design, the Belgian one "well, it's rare so don't worry about it".

When driving through mainland Europe, I've been quite surprised at how much less seriously they seem to take safety when it comes to roadworks, even on motorways.

Sweden was particularly shocking as they did work with operatives having near to no protection at all. A major road, albeit well out of town.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

When driving through mainland Europe, I've been quite surprised at how much less seriously they seem to take safety when it comes to roadworks, even on motorways.

Sweden was particularly shocking as they did work with operatives having near to no protection at all. A major road, albeit well out of town.

In mainland Europe track workers don't wear much high-vis clothing yet in the UK them same workers would be head-toe high vis

 

[Trog]

I remember being told of an Oh S**t! moment at Watford Junction years ago when an old lady got off a train and handed a member of platform staff a large lump of rail head saying "This came in through a window near Tring, is it anything important?"

 

[Flying_Turtle]

In mainland Europe track workers don't wear much high-vis clothing yet in the UK them same workers would be head-toe high vis

Don't go to Southern Europe... seriously! I could tell you a few hair raising stories on the railway lived on the first person... thankfully trains can't run away from obstacles so obstacles don't have much problems running away!