Train collision in Poland

[cteno4]

Sad news from Poland. 8 dead so far in the two train collision.

 

Jeff

 

http://nyti.ms/ymaIfV

[bikkuri bahn]

Article with video:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/mar/04/poland-train-crash-video?newsfeed=true

 

another video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcgSHintmc4

 

Appears to be a single track line.  Apparently there was maintenance work being done at a nearby station, with one track being closed...

[Eisenbahn]

Nobody likes to see this.

 

For those forum members interested, there is a good article on Polish railways on English wikipedia. Amonsgt other things, it indicates a lack of infrastructure spending in the Communist period but with EU financial support a 350km/hr high speed network will be in place by 2019 between Warsaw, Poznan & Wroclaw and in the meantime 20 Pendelinos have been ordered from alstrom for service  into Germany Austria and Czech Republic. It appears Poland has a 3kV DC , standard gauge network. Steam buffs will know about the Wolsztyn depot now offering  footplate runs to enthusiasts. There is also some Russian gauge to interoperate with the Russia etc.

 

Such is rail freight integration in europe, the German Freight operator, DB Schenker now operates freight trains between Barking (England) and Wroclaw a couple of times a week. I suppose another ten years of  economic growth from EU membership and investment will see Poland with a very capable rail system.

[bikkuri bahn]

Signalman to be charged over Polish train crash that killed 16

Prosecutors in Poland plan to charge a signalman with inadvertently causing a traffic accident as part of their investigation into a deadly rail crash that claimed 16 lives and left 48 injured over the weekend.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/9123953/Signalman-to-be-charged-over-Polish-train-crash-that-killed-16.html

 

From the picture we can see that the line is double tracked.  I wonder if this line is signaled for bi-directional running, which apparently is common in Europe on double track, though not Japan.

[Eisenbahn]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szczekociny_rail_crash