Bad Train Crash in Italy

[Masioka]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8125644.stm

[Guest ___]

Read about it this morning, last set of cars on a 13 car train derailed.

[bikkuri bahn]

Updated report said the axle on the first car of the fourteen car train broke, causing the derailment:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/world/europe/02italy.html?ref=world

[bikkuri bahn]

A very good slide show of the accident scene, the last picture is an aerial view which shows the scale of destruction:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8125909.stm

[to2leo]

I was at Italy 2 years ago and I am not surprised at the railway workers' comments about old and obsolete rolling stocks.  Italy is truly a country of contrasts.  On one hand, you have old and obsolete stocks while on the other you have the latest TGV technology (AGV).

 

But I hope this accident will be a wake up call for the government to finally address the problem.

[Bernard]

When I was in Torino in 2006, I remember seeing a lot of construction (mostly Viaducts) for new Hi-Speed train lines, has this progressed.

[Guest ___]

Sadly, I never think of Spain, or Italy or that region as a place for train.

[to2leo]

SPAIN is such a place for trains!!!!  TGV, Talgo, ICE all in one!

[disturbman]

And they are building like crazies too.

[NGT6 1315]

And they are building like crazies too.

 

 

They sure are. Plus, service on the AVE network appears to be outstanding, judging by what I've been reading about it.

[to2leo]

AVE is very good, cheap, fast and on time!

[jappomania]

I was at Italy 2 years ago and I am not surprised at the railway workers' comments about old and obsolete rolling stocks.   Italy is truly a country of contrasts.  On one hand, you have old and obsolete stocks while on the other you have the latest TGV technology (AGV).

 

But I hope this accident will be a wake up call for the government to finally address the problem.

 

sorry if write about it only after 1 month,(I've see this post today, in the meantime I try to read all the old posts)

Of course, in Italy the situation about railway is not so good, (obsolete trains ecc...) but I will add another info

the train that's cause this disaster is owned by GATX (Europe branch) and rented to another company for GPL transport, the Italian judiciary is investigating to see what was wrong of GATX (it's a USA company....) responsible for the maintenance and operation of tank wagons (an axle has broken)

ciao

Massimo

[Bernard]

Massimo,

Any thing more about the crash, how is everybody doing, total damage?

[jappomania]

Hi Bernard!

I try, excuse my bad english

in total 28 deaths until now (12 still in hospital whit 60-70% of skin burned), over 15 milion Euros of damage estimated,

the cause : the"bush" of the axle in the first truck has broken

(the cylinder welded to the wheel, connected to ball/roller bearing to the truck/boogie)

the tank wagon result registered 10 year ago but it's not new , it's a partially rebuilding of old DDR (ex East Germany Republic, remeber, Berlino wall was dimantled is in 1989) stock of wagons

revisioned in february from Italian workshop whit both truck exchange (the oldest was to much used) whit spare parts (but not new, revised from another company in Germany, shipped to Italy from GATX supervisor whit certification (false?) Now Italian judiciary investigated because the ultrasound and X ray analisys in Germany don'r report this defect

(the only analisys that permit to find this type of defect)

for now, all the tank cars of GATX can't be used inside italian railways system (license suspended)

 

ciao

Massimo

[Mudkip Orange]

Wow, this is just like Shinjuku in the 60's when the jet fuel exploded.