Yokohama Keikyu express train crashes and derails, leaving 30 people injured, September 5, 2019

[Yavianice]

NHK reports a train accident and derailment on the keikyu line between Tokyo and Yokohama. Pretty dramatic pictures.

 

seems to have crashed at full speed into a truck and then smashed the truck into the sound barrier.
 

Police reports 30 people injured. The crash happened at Kanagawa-Shinmachi station at around 11:40. https://goo.gl/maps/s2XNc3rqKCH5HFT27

 

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Yavianice
Added links

[stevenh]

Live stream here:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/realtime/rt0001118.html?utm_int=all_contents_realtime_001

 

English news here:

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190905/p2g/00m/0dm/053000c

 

Thoughts out to all involved!

Edited September 5, 2019 by stevenh

[Socimi]

According to the Asashi Shimbun, there are 30 injuries of wich one is serious. 

The 67-years old truck driver was confirmed dead by the police, while the train driver only sustained light injuries. 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Socimi

[railsquid]

Apparently the train may have been running at maximum line speed (120 km/h) on this section.

[railsquid]

Accident occurred here:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/wbX8y3HdZtKnJ5fH6

 

Truck (ca. 13m long) was coming out of the narrow road immediately to the left (evidently the driver took the wrong route) and after failing to turn left (away from the crossing) turned onto the crossing.

[railsquid]

Meanwhile, on one of the TV channels they were reproducing the accident in N scale (and apologised for the fact that the model only has 4 cars):

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by railsquid

[Yavianice]

Pretty sure that's incorrect because the truck got sandwiched on the left side (of train driving direction) between the train and the sound wall (on the left), and the truck ended with the cab towards the station. The train derailed to the right side (of train driving direction). 

[Socimi]

I think this is how the events actually unfolded.

 

https://i.ibb.co/pW3V6RD/Kanagawa-Shin-Machi-accident.png

[railsquid]

10 minutes ago, Yavianice said:

Pretty sure that's incorrect because the truck got sandwiched on the left side (of train driving direction) between the train and the sound wall (on the left), and the truck ended with the cab towards the station. The train derailed to the right side (of train driving direction). 

 

The news report showed video evidence of the truck emerging from the street (in front of the orange building) and plenty of witness accounts.

 

6 minutes ago, Socimi said:

I think this is how the events actually unfolded.

 

https://i.ibb.co/pW3V6RD/Kanagawa-Shin-Machi-accident.png

 

Matches largely what the news report said; seems the driver was panicking and after finally escaping from the narrow road (bringing down a road sign) ended up on the crossing as the booms were coming down.

Edited September 5, 2019 by railsquid

[railsquid]

The fire appears to have started from the truck.

[Socimi]

Just in:

The train involved in the accident is set no. 1137 (10th batch, stainless steel body, 8-car formation) of the Keikyu 1000 series, manufactured in 2010

 

Here it is in service on the Keisei Narita Line. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keikyu_N1000_series#/media/File:Keikyu_1000gata_naritayugawa.JPG

 

At the back it was also coupled with 4-car set no. 1144

Edited September 5, 2019 by Socimi

[railsquid]

Diagram showing initial crash: https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190905-00000068-asahi-soci.view-000

[Yavianice]

@railsquid The diagrams prove me right (as does physics). The TV show was incorrect. Look carefully where the truck is and what part collided with the train. (the TV shows the front, incorrect, the diagram and the aftermath pictures show the truck being hit in the rear, which is correct)

[railsquid]

Oh, is that what you meant.

 

The pictures of the TV show are just snapshots I grabbed to show they were using actual models, they kept moving the train and truck around so don't take them as an exact representation.

[Yavianice]

Forum member @ayokoi uploaded this video today of an express keikyu train on the accident line in happier days. The station and the crossing appear at 0:30.

 

 

[railsquid]

They just showed one of his videos (possibly that one) on the news (Asahi TV) to demonstrate the route.

[katoftw]

Luckily it wasn't worse.

 

Driver must have been on the emergency brakes hard as only had 3 cars past crossing.

 

The noise barrier/fencing stopped the truck from being pushed onto the side road.  These side roads are always full of pedestrians near these stations.

 

First car flipped track side.  Had a train been coming the opposite direction, a head on collision would have occurred.

[railsquid]

 

47 minutes ago, railsquid said:

They just showed one of his videos (possibly that one) on the news (Asahi TV) to demonstrate the route.

 

while using screenshots to point out the locations of various signals.

 

Anyway the consensus seems to be that while the crossing obstruction sensors worked as intended,  Keikyu has no mechanism connecting them with the trains, so relying on visual detection by the driver.

[Sheffie]

Reading between the lines, it seems likely that the driver did see either a signal that the crossing was blocked, or the blockage itself, and applied the brakes. Thankfully it wasn't worse.

Edited September 6, 2019 by Sheffie

[railsquid]

From the lunchtime news, locations of the crossing obstruction signal repeater signal:

 

 

Apparently theoretically this should give enough time for the train to stop from 120 km/h *if* the emergency brakes were applied right away, but I guess even a delay of a couple of seconds might make the difference between being able to stop in time, and not.

 

(Emergency brakes were applied and witnesses indicate they were applied fairly early, but as the talking heads say, we'll have to await the results of the official investigation).

[stevenh]

NHK live feed continues:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/realtime/rt0001121.html?utm_int=all_contents_realtime_001

[railsquid]

The official info (see: https://www.keikyu.co.jp/report/2019/20190906_19009340EW.html) is that they want to resume operations early tomorrow (Saturday), given that it's 3pm on Friday afternoon and the lead car is still there, I wonder how realistic that will be.

[railsquid]

Aha, a crane is being brought into position behind the derailed leading car (others are no longer there)

Edited September 6, 2019 by railsquid

[railsquid]

Now they appear to be preparing to drill a big hole between the tracks close to the crossing.

[Yavianice]

 

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by Yavianice