January 4 – Norway – Åsta accident, Åsta in Åmot: Two diesel passenger trains collided in Rørosbanen killing 19. The fire after the collision lasted nearly six hours.[1]
February 6 – Germany – Brühl train derailment: The D 203 "Schweiz-Express" train travelling from Amsterdam to Basel negotiated a low-speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed near Brühl station, killing 9 people.
March 2 – Denmark – Kølkær. Two regional trains heading to Herning and Vejle collided in Kolkær station. The train to Herning had entered the station and was slowing down when it was hit head-on by the oncoming Vejle train at 116km/h. One passenger in the Herning train and both train drivers were killed, 10 passengers were seriously injured. The investigation concluded that the crash was caused by the driver of the Vejle train, who had completely ignored stop signals.[2]
March 8 – Japan – Naka-Meguro derailment: The last car of a TRTA Hibiya Line train derailed and was hit by a Tobu Railway train traveling in the opposite direction, killing five people and injuring 63.
March 28 – United States – A school bus failed to stop at a crossbuck in Tennga, Georgia and was struck by a CSX train, killing three people.[3]
April 18 – Indonesia – In Kosambi, three trains (a freight train, an animal transport train and a passenger train) collided, killing three stowaways on the second train..[4]
June 6 – Switzerland – A passenger train and a freight train collided at Hüswil, killing one.[5]
July 6 – France – In Paris, a Eurostar Train derailed due to a fault on the train track, injuring six.[6]
July 13 – Canada – A Canadian National train heading westbound pulling grain hoppers hit a semi-trailer that had become stuck at a level crossing west of Wainwright, Alberta. The two locomotives and 28 cars derailed. The train crew suffered only minor injuries after jumping from the train prior to the collision [7][8]
August 26 – United States – A Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern train derailed in Brookings, South Dakota, killing the conductor and severely injuring the engineer. The crash was caused intentionally by a vandal who broke the lock off of a railroad switch using a hammer and covered the warning reflector with at least one trash bag as part of a 'prank.'[9]
October 17 – United Kingdom – Hatfield rail crash – In Hertfordshire, a faulty rail shattered into 300 pieces due to rolling contact fatigue while a GNERLondon to LeedsInterCity 225 express was passing at 115 miles per hour (185km/h). Four people were killed and 102 injured. The crash forced the biggest and most expensive re-railing exercise in British history, with huge service disruption for many months. Infrastructure owner Railtrack was found guilty in one of the longest rail-related trials in UK legal history, but manslaughter charges against company managers were not sustained.
November 11 – Austria – Kaprun disaster: The Gletscherbahn 2 funicular train caught fire in a tunnel after an unsafely installed heater overheated, killing 155 people and leaving only 12 survivors.
December 2 – India – Sarai Banjara rail disaster, a crowded commuter train crashed into a derailed freight train in Punjab, killing more than 45 people.
January 12 – Republic of the Congo – Nvoungouti: More than 30 people were killed after two trains collided because of a brake failure.[10]
February 28 – United Kingdom – Selby rail crash: A sleep-deprived driver on the M62 motorway fell asleep at the wheel, causing his Land Rover to swerve off the road and travel down an embankment onto the main line below. After failing to reverse off the track, the driver exited the vehicle and while contacted emergency services, during which the vehicle was hit by a GNERInterCity 225 passenger train which derailed and collided at high speed with a coal train traveling in the opposite direction. Ten people were killed (all due to the second collision) and over 80 were injured. The Land Rover driver was later jailed for 5 years for causing death by dangerous driving.
March 27 – Belgium – Pécrot rail crash: Two passenger trains collided on the same track, killing eight people and injuring 12. Lack of common language was seen as a factor.
April 12 – Canada – Stewiacke Via derailment: a teenager tampered with a track switch, derailing Via Rail Canada's Ocean, injuring as many as 22 people.[12]
May 15 – United States – CSX 8888 incident,Toledo, Ohio: A CSX freight train of 47 cars, including some with hazardous molten phenol acid, ran away in the yard at Toledo with no engineer aboard. The engineer had stepped out to reset a switch but had improperly applied the dynamic brake, causing the train to accelerate. It ran for 66 miles (106km) to Kenton, Ohio, before being stopped by a railroad worker who jumped aboard and managed to stop it. CSX slowed the train down to 10mph (16km/h) by coupling an engine onto the end.[13] This incident was dubbed the "Crazy Eights" incident in reference to the lead locomotive's number (#8888). The incident inspired the 2010 Tony Scott film Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine.
June 21 – India – Kadalundi train derailment: Six carriages of the Mangalore-Chennai Mail train derailed while crossing Bridge 924 after it shifted following heavy rain. Three carriages plunge into the swollen Kadalundi River, killing 59 people.
July 18 – United States – Howard Street Tunnel fire, Baltimore, Maryland: A 60-car CSX train carrying chemicals and wood products derailed in a 1.7-mile-long (2.7km) tunnel, causing water contamination and a fire that burned for six days.[14]
July 29 – United States – An Amtrak Texas Eagle en route from San Antonio to Chicago derailed in Sabula, Missouri, located 120 miles (190km) away from St. Louis, possibly due to severe weather and flash flooding. Four passengers and the engineer were injured.[15]
August 19 – Sri Lanka – Kurunegala train crash: 15 people died after the Udarata Menike train derailed due to speeding and overcrowding.[16]
September 2 – Indonesia – In Cirebon, a passenger train and a locomotive collided, killing 40 people and seriously injuring 37.[17]
September 13 – United States – In Wendover, Utah, the westbound California Zephyr derailed after striking a coal train, causing several injuries.[18]
November 15 – United States – Canadian National train E243 running from Flat Rock, Michigan to Flint, Michigan collided with another CN train, L533 (bound for Detroit), at the Andersonville Siding on CN's Holly Subdivision in Michifgan. The engineer and conductor on E243 were killed.[citation needed]
December 7 — United States – Two BNSF trains collided head-on in Arminto, Wyoming, killing an engineer.
December 18 – Greece – In Orestiada, a train got stuck in a snow drift and derailed near the Bulgarian border, killing one person.[19]
December 25 - Indonesia - In Brebes, 45 people were killed after a Empu Jaya train collision with Gaya Baru Malam train in Ketanggungan station. [20]
January 18 – United States – Minot train derailment: A Canadian Pacific train derailed near a residential area west of Minot, North Dakota. Seven tank cars ruptured, releasing more than 750,000 litres (200,000 US gallons) of anhydrous ammonia which vaporized in the sub-zero air and formed a toxic cloud that drifted over much of Minot. One man died and numerous others were treated for chemical exposure.[21]
February 20 – Egypt – 2002 El Ayyat railway accident: A train packed to double capacity caught fire after a cooking gas cylinder exploded, killing 383 people.
February 21 – Switzerland – A freight train and a locomotive collided at Chiasso, killing two people and injuring three.[5]
March 30 – Spain – In Catalonia, a Euromed Express Train collided with another Euromed Express Train crushing many cars, killing two people and injuring 100.[23]
April 18 – United States – Crescent City, Florida: 21 cars of an Amtrak Auto-Train derailed, killing four people and injuring 142.[24]
May 13 – India – 2002 Jaunpur train crash: 12 people died after a passenger train derailed and crashed in Uttar Pradesh in a suspected act of sabotage
May 28 — United States — A BNSF coal train and intermodal train collided head-on near Clarendon, Texas, killing the engineer of the intermodal train and injuring the coal train's crew and the intermodal train's conductor. It was revealed that the coal train's crew was distracted by their cell phones, ultimately causing their train to collide with the other train.[26]
July 29 – United States – Kensington, Maryland: The eastbound Amtrak Capitol Limited, train 30, while traversing a CSX route, struck a sun kink while traveling at 60mph (97km/h). Several cars fell off an embankment and four Superliners overturned against trees. Sixteen people were seriously injured and 79 people suffered minor injuries. The misalignment was determined to be caused by an improperly tamped ballast and excessive speed in the 96°F (36°C) sunny weather. "Slow orders" were imposed on passenger trains in the area on very hot days following this accident.[29][30]
September 9 – Germany – Bad Münder: Two freight trains collided head-on after a brake failure on one of the trains. A tank car loaded with 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane subsequently exploded, contaminating the station and exposing 96 firemen to carcinogenic fumes.[31]
September 9 – India – Rafiganj train wreck: More than 130 people died after a passenger train derailed and plunged into the Dhave River in Bihar due to sabotaged tracks.[32]
September 27 – United States – Jamaica, New York: Three cars of a JFK Airtrain test train derailed near Federal Circle. The train's lone occupant, a train operator testing the automated equipment, was crushed to death by collapsing cement blocks inside the first car used to evenly distribute the weight inside the car to simulate the weight of customers in passenger service.[34]
October 13 – Australia – Benalla level crossing collision, Victoria: A heritage train hauled by K classsteam locomotive K 183 collided with a B-Double truck that failed to clear the level crossing. The impact caused the locomotive to derail, rolling onto its side, and the locomotive's tender to be forced into the locomotive's cab. Three of the four people in the cab were killed and one critically injured.[35]
November 6 – France – Nancy: A fire broke out in the front two carriages of an overnight sleeper train heading from Paris to Vienna, killing 12 passengers from smoke inhalation and injuring nine.[36]
November 7 – Denmark – Holte: An empty S-train turning around failed to brake in time and drove into the path of another S-train heading to Køge station, killing a woman and injuring three passengers, two more seriously.[37][38]
December 9 – Indonesia – The Argo Dwipangga train with Solo Balapan-Gambir route, derailed in Prembun, Kebumen Regency, killing five passengers and injuring dozens were injured. The cause of the accident was a rail that shifted due to a box truck that passed through the tunnel under the train tracks just before the Argo Dwipangga passed.[39]
January 31 – Australia – Waterfall rail accident: The driver of a southbound passenger train suffered a heart attack and died; the train then sped out of control and derailed on a curve, overturning several cars and killing six passengers.
February 2 – Zimbabwe – Dete train crash. Two trains collided, derailed, and caught fire, killing over 40 people.[41]
February 3 – Australia – Broadmeadows train runaway and crash, Melbourne, Victoria: An unmanned electric suburban train rolled away from Broadmeadows station and ran for 16.848 kilometres at speeds in excess of 100km/h through many pedestrian and level crossings before crashing into a stationary diesel passenger train at Southern Cross station derailing both. No serious injuries were reported.[42]
Daegu February 18 – South Korea – Daegu subway fire: A mentally ill man started a fire which engulfed two subway trains, killing 192 people.
March 20 – Netherlands – Roermond: The driver of an NS passenger train suffered a heart attack and ran through a red signal before colliding head-on with a freight train. The driver was killed, while six passengers were injured seriously.[43]
May 6 – United States – Amtrak's Silver Star struck a delivery truck at a private crossing near Hinesville, Georgia killing the engineer and the truck driver.[44]
June 11 – Germany – Six people died and 25 were injured after two passenger trains collided head-on near Schrozberg.[47]
June 20 – United States – Commerce, California: A runaway cut of 31 cars from a Union Pacific freight train, without a locomotive, carrying lumber derailed at a speed of 95mph (153km/h) in a Los Angeles suburb, destroying several homes and rupturing natural gas lines.[48]
June 22 - India - In Kankavli, a Karwar-Mumbai holiday special train derailed and telescoped over the engine, 34 were killed and dozens were injured.[49]
July 2 – India – Warangal train crash: 22 people died after a train fell off a bridge due to brake failure into a crowded fish market in Warangal.
July 7 – United Kingdom – Between Evesham and Pershore, Worcestershire, a First Great Western train collided with a minibus on a level crossing, killing three people in the minibus.[50]
August 3 – United Kingdom – A Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway steam train hit a car driven across the level crossing. The train driver died, while the car occupants and some train passengers were injured.[51]
August 7 – Switzerland – Two trains collided at Gsteigwiler, killing one person and injuring 63.[5]
October 4 – Indonesia – In Bogor Regency, a passenger train rear-ended another between Cilebut and Bogor Stations, injuring 39 people.[52]
October 12 – United States – Chicago, Illinois: A Metra train derailed after its engineer ignored warning signals telling him to slow down for a track change and continued travelling at 73 miles per hour (117km/h) over a 10-mile-per-hour (16km/h)switch. The front locomotive rolled onto its side and caught fire. Forty-five were injured.[53]
February 15 – United Kingdom – Tebay rail accident, Cumbria, England. A sleeper (railroad tie) transporter trolley with defective brakes carrying 16 tonnes of rails was detached from a maintenance train south of Penrith and rolled down the falling gradient until it struck and killed four workmen in a team repairing the line at Tebay, between Oxenholme and Penrith.[54]
February 18 – Iran – Nishapur train disaster: 51 train cars broke loose from their siding, rolled down the track, derailed and fell down an embankment into Khayyam, near Nishapur. During the cleanup operation, the cargo of the cars exploded (an equivalent of 180 tons of TNT), killing 295 people and leveling Khayyam and damaging three nearby towns. The blast was felt as far away as Mashhad.[55]
April 16 – Turkey – Temelli[tr]: An overnight İzmir-to-Ankara express hit a truck near Ankara while at a level crossing. Seven to 10 children died and two to five more were injured.[56]
April 22 – North Korea – Ryongchon disaster: 161 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured after an explosion.
May 19 – United States – near Gunter, Texas: One person died and four were injured after a BNSF train failed to adhere to an after-arrival track warrant and collided with another train.[57]
June 1 – Denmark – Holstebro: Two regional trains entered the same track and collided head-on, injuring 24 people were injured, two more seriously.[2]
June 17 – India – Karanjadi train crash: 20 people died and 100 were injured after 10 carriages fell off a bridge during a monsoon-induced landslide.[58]
June 28 – United States – Macdona, Texas, near San Antonio: Four people died and 51 were injured after a Union Pacific train failed to stop at a signal and collided with another train, causing chlorine gas to leak out of a train car. Among the dead were the UP driver and two residents. Several other residents and many visitors to the SeaWorld theme park were seriously injured by the gas.[59][60]
September 10 – Sweden[69] – Nosaby level crossing disaster: A heavy truck was caught between the barriers at a level crossing, and was hit by a passenger train. The train driver died, while 47 people were injured. The truck driver was found guilty of not attempting to move the vehicle away from the level crossing, and was sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment.[70][71]
November 6 – United Kingdom – Ufton Nervet rail crash: A First Great WesternInterCity 125 hit a stationary car driven by an apparently suicidal driver on a level crossing and derailed. Five train passengers and the drivers of both the train and the car died; more than 100 passengers were injured.
November 11 – United States – San Antonio, Texas: A Union Pacific train derailed off the tracks in an industrial district, killing one man working in a warehouse office and injuring others.[73]
November 15 – Australia – Cairns Tilt Train derailment: The world's fastest narrow-gauge train derailed at 112km/h. The accident was blamed on the train travelling too fast on a curved line.
November 29 – United States – Zephyrhills, Florida: Two CSX freight trains collided in early morning fog at Vitis Junction, killing one and injuring three.[74]
December 3 – Italy – Two trains collided at Castellaneta after one of them passed a red signal. Twenty people were injured, two seriously.[75]
December 14 – India – Two passenger trains collided in Punjab, killing 27 people and injuring more than 50.[76]
Aerial view of the Graniteville train crash scene January 6 – United States – Graniteville train crash: Nine people (including the engineer) died and more than 250 were injured after a Norfolk Southern freight train collided head-on with a parked freight train near the Avondale Mills plant in Graniteville, South Carolina. A derailed tank car ruptured 90 tons of chlorine gas into the air.[77]
January 7 – Italy – Crevalcore train crash. A passenger train running from Verona to Bologna failed to stop at a red light and collided head-on with a freight train, near Crevalcore in dense fog, killing 17.[78][79]
January 17 – Thailand – an empty MRT (Bangkok) train returning to the depot collided with another train filled with passengers at the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT station. One hundred and forty people were hurt, most of whom sustained only minor injuries, and the entire Metro network was shut down for two weeks.
January 26 – United States – 2005 Glendale train crash: In a planned suicide attempt during which the suspect changed his mind, a southbound Metrolink double-deck commuter train collided in Glendale, California with the man's vehicle that he has driven onto the tracks and then abandoned. The train derailed, then struck both a moving northbound Metrolink train on the adjacent track as well as a parked Union Pacific freight train on a siding. Eleven people died, about 100 were injured.
February 3 – India – Nagpur level crossing disaster. A tractor-trailer carrying a wedding party washit by a train, killing 55 wedding guests.
February 9 – Latvia – A Lielvarde-Riga passenger train collided with empty stock heading for Riga train depot, killing four people and injuring 32.[80]
February 14 — United States – Oxnard, California. An AmtrakPacific Surfliner passenger train traveling from Los Angeles Union Station collided with a semi-truck loaded with strawberries at the Rice Avenue grade crossing. The truck driver, who had stopped at the crossing, suddenly encountered a green traffic light that conflicted the crossing gates coming down. This confused the driver, who started crossing the tracks then, but the traffic light suddenly turned red after a few seconds, making the truck driver stop without realising that the rest of her truck was still on the tracks. The train was traveling too fast to stop in time and completely destroyed the truck's trailer, severely damaging the locomotive and spilling diesel fuel at the crash site. A few passengers of the train had minor injuries.
February 14 – Denmark – Lyngby: An S-train to Høje Tåstrup ran into a stopped S-train which was heading for Køge at 60–70km/h. Two passengers and a driver were seriously injured. Snow which had settled on the signals made them difficult to read, meaning the train could not be stopped in time.[2]
April 21 – India – Vadodara train crash: 18 people died after a collision between a freight and passenger express train.
Investigation at the scene of the Amagasaki rail crash April 25 – Japan – Amagasaki rail crash: A train derailed on a sharp curve and smashed into an apartment building, killing 107 people and injuring 549. An investigation revealed that the driver (who was among the dead) was speeding because of a slight delay.
May 19 – Indonesia – A passenger train from Palembang crashed into another passenger train at Bandar Lampung station and derailed. Seven children dies and about 200 were injured. Many of the dead were passengers clinging on to the sides of the Palembang train. The Indonesian government began a crackdown on people clinging on to the exteriors of trains as a means of travel.[81][82]
June 16 – Russia – Between Zubtsov and Aristovo in Tver Oblast, 27 fuel oil tankers bound from Moscow to Riga derailed at a speed of about 70km/h (43mph), causing 300 tonnes of fuel to leak. Six hundred and forty-one metres (2,103ft) of track was destroyed and the Volga River was contaminated briefly.[83]
June 21 – Israel – A Beersheba-bound passenger train collided with a coal delivery truck near Revadim, about 40 kilometres (25mi) south of Tel Aviv. At least seven died and more than 200 were injured.[84]
July 10 – United States – Anding, Mississippi: Two Canadian National freight trains collided head-on after the northbound train failed to stop at a red light. Both crews died.[85]
July 13 – Pakistan – 2005 Ghotki rail crash: A chain reaction accident caused by one train missing a signal and colliding into another resulted in three trains crashing and over 150 people dead.
July 26 – Austria – Gramatneusiedl: passenger train of the ÖBB crashed into a cargo train, injuring 13 people.[87]
September 17 – United States – Chicago, Illinois: A Metra commuter train derailed, killing two and injuring 83.[95]
October 3 – India – Datia rail accident: 100 died after a train travelling at six times the speed limit derailed.[96]
October 15 – United States – Texarkana, Arkansas, Union Pacific train rear-ended another train, derailing and puncturing a tank car containing propylene. The leak ignited at a nearby house, causing a massive explosion and subsequent fire. A 1-mile (1.6km) radius was evacuated, and one resident was killed.[97]
October 23 – Italy – Eurostar 9410 derailment: Eurostar Italia train 9410, running from Taranto to Milan, derailed between Acquaviva delle Fonti and Sannicandro di Bari after subsidence due to heavy rain caused a bridge to collapse under it, leaving two bare rails spanning the 12-metre-deep ravine. The train completed the crossing and came to rest with its rear end suspended over the void.[98][99]
October 29 – India – Veligonda train disaster: At least 114 people died and many more were injured after part of the track was swept away by a flood, causing a train to derail.[100]
November 23 – Turkey – A train hit a truck on a level crossing between Tarsus and Mersin, killing nine people and injuring 18.
December 25 – Japan – Shonai, Yamagata: All six cars of Akita–NiigataInaho express train derailed and three passenger cars were crushed, killing five people and injuring 32. Strong winter winds were thought to be the cause.[102]
January 29 – Pakistan – A broken rail caused a derailment near Jhelum in Punjab, killing 2 people and injuring 29. Poor maintenance was officially being cited as cause; sabotage was suspected by some authorities. The government inquiry later blamed defective and aging rails.[105][106][107]
March 13 – United States – Austin, Texas: Tara Rose McAvoy, the reigning Miss Deaf Texas, was killed by the snowplow on a 65-car Union Pacific freight train while trespassing on the tracks and text-messaging her parents.[108]
April 15 – Indonesia – In Gubug, 13 people died and 26 were injured after two trains collided and wreckage fell into a paddy field.[109][110]
April 28 – Australia – Victoria: A V/Line VLocity high-speed train derailed after being struck by an 18-wheeler truck, killing two people and injuring 28 on the Ballarat-to-Ararat line.[111]
May 17 – Switzerland – An engineering train suffered a brake failure and crashes at Thun. Three people are killed.[5]
June 12 – Israel – Netanya: A passenger train from Tel Aviv to Haifa derailed after colliding with a lorry on a level crossing, killing 5 people and injuring more than 100.[112]
June 14 – United States – Kismet, California. Two BNSF freight trains collided head-on due to one of the trains running a red signal, injuring 5 people. A crew from the train that ran the red was suspected to be high on cocaine.[113][114]
July 3 – Spain – Valencia Metro derailment: A Valencia Metro train derailed after leaving Jesús station, killing 41 people and injuring at least 47. The records of the train's black box showed that the train passed a bend at 80km/h, above the speed limit of 40km/h.[117][118]
August 21 – Egypt – Qalyoub train collision – Two trains collided in Qalyoub, 12 miles (19km) north of Cairo, killing 57 people and injuring 128.
Zoufftgen October 11 – France – Zoufftgen train collision: A Passenger and freight train collided head-on at Zoufftgen, Moselle, close to the Luxembourg border. Five people died, including the drivers of both trains, and 20 were injured.[129] The accident is ascribed to human error in the controlling signalling centre in Luxembourg.
October 17 – Italy – 2006 Rome metro crash: Two metro trains collided at Rome's Vittorio Emanuele metro station, killing one person and injuring around 60.[130]
November 20 – India – 2006 West Bengal train explosion: A train traveling between New Jalpaiguri and Haldiburi in West Bengal exploded, killing five people and injuring 25 to 66. Terrorism was suspected.
November 24 – Croatia – Drniš: HŽICNtilting train number 521 collided with a lorry loaded with Knauf cement boards at a railroad crossing with no ramp or warning lights. The train engineer died instantly, the lorry driver sustained severe injuries.[136]
November 30 – United States – North Baltimore, Ohio: 15 cars carrying steel derailed after the train inadvertently switched to a side track. These cars then struck a coal train on a parallel set of tracks, causing four of its cars to derail. Three people who were in vehicles waiting for the train to pass were injured.[137][138]
December 1 – India – Bihar, Bhágalpur: In the Ganges, a portion of the 150-year-old 'Ulta Pul' bridge being dismantled collapsed over a passing train of India's Eastern Railways, killing 35 people and injuring 17.[139][140]
December 13 – Italy – Avio: A freight train operated by Trenitalia passed a red signal and crashed into a freight train of the private company Rail Traction Company. Two Trenitalia engineers died.[141]
January 4 – Turkey – A freight train crashed into a truck carrying farm workers at a railroad crossing in Hatay Province, killing 7 people and injuring 19.[142]
January 16 – Indonesia – The Senja Bengawan train derailed in Pager Bridge, Brebes, Central Java. One of the car fell into the Pager River, killing five people.[144]
February 28 – China – Strong winds blew 10 passenger rail cars off the track near Turpan, killing 3 passengers and seriously injuring two.[146][147]
June 5 – Australia – Kerang train accident: A B-Double truck collided with a Melbourne-bound passenger train 6 kilometres (3.7mi) north of Kerang at the Murray Valley Highway level crossing, killing 11 train passengers and injuring 23.
June 14 – Croatia – A CroatianHŽ commuter train bound from Zagreb to Karlovac collided with a lorry on the railroad crossing in Demerje, killing the lorry driver and the train engineer. The crash was caused by the lorry driver who ignored light and bell warnings about the train. The train conductor sustained minor injuries.[148]
June 15 – Italy – Two trains collided on Sardinia, killing three.[149]
July 16–17 – United States – Two AmtrakSilver Star trains on the Tampa to Miami route crashed into automobiles and derailed in two separate instances, one in Lakeland and one in Plant City. Four people in the automobile died in the first wreck; one in the automobile died in the second accident.[150]
July 16 – Ukraine – Fifteen carriages from a train carrying yellow phosphorus derailed and caught fire, releasing toxic fumes that affected 14 villages in a 90km2 (35sqmi) area near Lviv.[151]
October 2 - United States - In D.C., Virginia, two United States Capitol subway system trains collided onto each other after a train failed to slow down when it reached the end of the line, no deaths were reported but 1 person was injured.[157]
November 9 – United States – An improperly secured free-rolling cut of hoppers from a CSX train in Bennington Yard in the District of Columbia rolled onto an out-of-service bridge, which collapsed and dumped ten rail cars of coal in the Anacostia River.[162]
November 30 – United States – Amtrak train No. 371, the Pere Marquette, struck the last car of COFC freight train on the Norfolk Southern (ex-PRR) line near 65th Street in Chicago. Two people in the cab of P42DC No. 8 were injured, and many passengers on the other train were injured, including three critically. The engineer was running at approximately 40mph (64km/h) in a 15mph (24km/h) zone due to confusion about the meaning of a signal.[163][164]
December 19 – Pakistan – Mehrabpur derailment – A crowded passenger express train derailed down an embankment 200 kilometres (120mi) north-east of Karachi near Mehrabpur, killing 35 people and injuring about 269, 10 critically.
February 5 – United States – Two people died and one was injured in a chain reaction accident involving six vehicles and a 50-car train at a fog-obscured rail crossing in Boswell, about 30 miles (48km) west of Lafayette, Indiana.[166][167]
February 28 – Bulgaria – Sofia – Kardam train fire – Nine people died in a fire on board Bulgarian State Railways train No.2637 travelling from Sofia to Kardam, which started in a couchette carriage as the train entered Cherven bryag, and spread to a sleeping coach with 27 people. The fire took more than three hours to extinguish. Among the victims was Rasho Rashev, the director of Bulgaria's National Archaeological Institute.[168][169]
March 8 – Greece – An Alexandroupolis-bound[170]InterCity train derailed 2 kilometres (1.2mi) outside Larissa, injuring 28 passengers.[170] Initial reports suggested the station master failed to change the points after a previous train had passed through the station, causing five carriages from the passenger train to derail.[171]
March 9 – Argentina – A Ferrobaires passenger train going from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata struck an El Rápido Argentino bus going from Mar de Ajó to San Miguel (Greater Buenos Aires) at a crossing on the outskirts of Dolores, Buenos Aires Province. The bus had disregarded the active warning devices on the railroad crossing of Provincial Highway 63. Seventeen people died, 40 were injured.[172][173]
March 25 – United States – A MBTA train crashed into a runaway box car at Canton Junction station in Canton, Massachusetts, injuring 150 people on board.[174]
April 9 – Malaysia – A Sabah State Railway train plunged 10 metres into Padas River after a derailment caused by a landslide near Tenom, killing two passengers.[175]
April 14 – Czech Republic – In Ostrava, two trams collided head-on, killing three people and injuring 40.[176]
Landrückentunnel crash April 26 – Germany – An InterCityExpress train ran into a herd of sheep that had wandered onto the tracks at the mouth of the Landrückentunnel, Germany's longest rail tunnel, on the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line near Fulda. The derailed train stopped 1,300 metres (4,300ft) into the tunnel. Twenty-two people were injured seriously, including the engineer, 17 were slightly injured and 77 sheep died.[177]
April 28 – China – Zibo train collision: Train No. T195 en route from Beijing to Qingdao derailed at a section of temporary detour tracks Zhoucun-Wangcun, Hejiacun, on the outskirts of Zibo, Shandong. It was then struck by the No. 5034 (Yantai to Xuzhou) passenger train. Fourteen passenger cars were crushed, 72 people died and 416 were injured.
May 10 – Romania – The locomotive and three cars of Romanian National Railway Company (CFR) passenger train No 1661 going from Bucharest to Iași derailed at a defective switch near Valea Calugareasca station in Prahova County. A 17-year-old girl was killed and four others were injured.[179]
July 3 – Belgium – A passenger train and a freight train collided, injuring 42 people, two seriously.[181]
July 16 – Egypt – At least 44 people were killed and 33 injured after a truck failed to stop at level crossing and pushed two vehicles into a Matruh–Alexandria passenger train, at El Dabaa, Marsa Matruh.[182]
Studénka August 8 – Czech Republic – 2008 Studénka train wreck: Express train EC 108 Comenius from Kraków, Poland to Prague travelling at 140km/h crashed into a section of a bridge undergoing construction that had fallen onto the track, killing eight people and injuring 91.[183][184][185]
September 11 – United Kingdom-France – 2008 Channel Tunnel fire: A Eurotunnel Shuttle train carrying two vans and 25 lorries was severely damaged after a fire starts on one of the lorries. Six people were injured slightly, the part of the Channel Tunnel where the train came to rest was closed for repairs until February 2009.[186]
Chatsworth September 12 – United States – 2008 Chatsworth train collision: A northbound Metrolink (California) double-deck commuter train ran a red light and collided head-on with a Union Pacific Railroad freight train pulled by three engines at about 60mph (97km/h) and derailed; the derailed Metrolink engine was knocked 30 feet (9.1m) backwards into a passenger car, crushing it in half. Twenty-five people were killed and about 135 were injured.[187][188] This incident intensified the debate Congress was considering to mandate a safety system called positive train control, which passed Congress, and was signed into law, just over 30 days after this incident.
January 1 – Australia – One person was killed and six others injured after a QR Sunlander train collided with a garbage truck at a level crossing with no boom gates or warning lights near Innisfail, Queensland.[194]
February 7 – Cuba – Three people were killed and more than 90 injured in a collision between two passenger trains in Camagüey, 570 kilometres (350mi) east of Havana.[195][196]
13 February - India - In Orissa, a Coromandel Express train caught fire after leaving Jaipur Road Train Station, killing 15 people and injuring dozens.[197]
February 13 – India – Jajpur derailment: 12 carriages of the Howrah-Madras Express derailed after the train left Jajpur Road station near Bhubaneswar in Odisha, killing nine people and injuring 250.[198]
February 21 – Slovakia – Brezno train accident: Eleven people died in a collision between a bus and a train on a level crossing near Brezno.[199]
March 29 – Tanzania – Equipment breakdown and culpability causes a rear-end collision in Gulwe–Igandu section (Mpwapwa District), killing dozens of passengers and injuring many others.[200]
April 17 – Germany – A passenger train collided with a freight train in Berlin, injuring 12 people.[201]
April 28 – United States – In Boston, a T-Trolley train derailed due to the driver looking at text messages, injuring 68 people.[202]
April 29 - India - In Vyasarpadi Jeeva, a MEMU train collided with an empty goods tanker at Vyasarpadi Jeeva Station following a hijack, 4 were killed and several others were injured.[203]
June 5 -Canada - In Oshawa, a freight train derailed and exploded, sending toxic chemicals in the air, no casualties were reported, but hundreds of residents in nearby areas were evacuated.[205]
June 19 – United States – A major downpour in Rockford, Illinois, caused 14 ethanol tankers of a Canadian National freight train to derail and explode into flames. One person at a rail crossing died, several others were burned.[206][207]
Washington, D.C. June 22 – United States – June 2009 Washington Metro train collision – On the Washington Metro, an electronic track-circuit module failed, causing a train to go undetected by the automatic train control system. A second train crashed into it, killing nine people, the deadliest incident in the subway system's 33-year history.[208][209]
July 18 – United States – In San Francisco, a Muni Metro Train collided rear end onto another train stopped at West Portal Train Station, injuring 47 people.[215]
Rudine (aftermath) July 24 – Croatia – Rudine derailment – HŽICN tilting train number 521 bound from Zagreb to Split derailed between Labin Dalmatinski and Kaštel Stari near the village of Rudine. Six passengers died and 55 were injured, 13 of them seriously. The crash was caused by retardant that was sprayed on the railroad approximately 10 minutes before the accident, leaving the track surface slippery and preventing braking.[216] Thirty minutes later, a rescue train experienced the same problem and derails on the very same spot but did not produce further casualties despite colliding with the derailed wreckage.[217]
September 16 – Ireland – A tram and bus collided in Dublin injuring 21 people.[224]
September 24 – Netherlands – Barendrecht train accident – Two freight trains collided head-on below a viaduct on the A15 motorway near Barendrecht, killing a train driver. Derailed sections landed on a parallel track as a passenger train approached. A few passengers of the passenger train were lightly injured.[225]
October 5 – Thailand – A passenger train derailed during heavy rain in Hua Hin District, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens.[226]
October 23 – India – A huge concrete slab fell down into a train in north-east Mumbai, killing the driver and a passenger. Twelve others were injured.[227]
October 24 – Egypt – 2009 El Ayyat railway accident – A passenger train stopped after striking water buffalo in the El Ayyat area of Giza. Another passenger train then rear-ended the stationary train, killing at least 18 people.[228]
November 4 – Pakistan – At least 18 people died after the Allama Iqbal Express collided head-on with a goods train near Juma Goth Station in the suburbs of Karachi.[229][230]
December 21 – Croatia – A HŽ commuter train number 5100 bound from Sisak Caprag to Zagreb failed to stop and crashes into the platform bumper at Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor in Zagreb at 15–20km/h. The cause was blamed on the lack of antifreeze fluid in the locomotive's braking system which froze due to low temperatures. Sixty people from the train, including its engineer, were injured, seven of them seriously.[231]
Bukhari, Mubasher (January 30, 2006). "Train plunges into gorge near Jhelum". Daily Times, reprinted by National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
The Railway Magazine, Network Rail found guilty over Hatfield crash, but managers are acquitted, November 2005, King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London, SE1 9LS, pages 13–15.
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