UK. Virgin Class 390 Derailed near Lake District at Cumbria

The Friday evening 1715 London Euston to Glasgow service derailed on the section of West Coast Main Line near Tebay near Lake District.  Total number of injuries yet know due to remote of the site.  Rescue operation are currently underway, with assistance from Royal Air Force.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6391633.stm

A passenger has died and dozens have been injured after a train derailed and some of its carriages slid down an embankment in Cumbria.

Ambulance crews said three were in a critical condition in hospital.

Nine carriages were left on their side after the crash at Grayrigg near Kendal, with passengers saying some were left "stuck up in the air".

The Virgin train, the 1715 from London Euston due to arrive at Glasgow Central at 2154 GMT, crashed at 2015 GMT.

Neither Virgin nor Network Rail have yet been able to say what might have caused the crash.

All but one of the train's carriages had totally come off the tracks, a Cumbria Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.

Passengers coming off the train were assessed on the scene and any minor injuries would be treated there if possible, she added.

One of the passengers, BBC executive Caroline Thomson, said the train "did a sort of bump - and I was thinking don't worry this fine - but then the swaying became very dramatic.

"It suddenly appeared to hit something and then lurched very, very badly from side to side in a very dramatic way. This a very scary experience."

The Pendolino tilting trains have been introduced by Virgin over the last three years and have a top speed of 125 mph.

Network Rail said the line speed for the area where the crash took place was about 95 mph.

Virgin services between Preston and Carlisle have been suspended until further notice and alternative arrangements for customers, using road vehicles, are being made.

All Scotrail sleeper services to London have also been cancelled, with passengers being transferred to coach services.

Rail expert Christian Wolmar said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the crash, but he said that a broken rail would be one possibility.

"It could also be that the train was going too fast or it could be some other kind of mechanical failure. It could even have been an obstruction on the line," Mr Wolmar said.

"Virgin has a good safety record as does the railways [as a whole]."

In-built safety features included crumple zones at the front of the train, safety exits and ladders, he added.

"They have a very high standard of resistance to accidents but one has to recognise that they go very fast and that nothing can prevent some damage happening when accidents happen at that speed."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6391743.stm

[ 本帖最後由 norrislaw 於 2007-2-24 09:57 編輯 ]

根據香港電台新聞提及，英國方面正在調查是否因為與路軌轉向裝置出現問題引致這次意外：
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news ... 70224_55_380913.htm
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news ... 70224_55_380920.htm

今次好有可能同 Network Rail 公司有關，至於係咪同最近 West Coast Mainline既工程有關，就要遲d先有報告。

Crash inquiry to focus on points

The inquiry into the Cumbria rail crash in which one person died will focus on a set of points, investigators say.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, said the inquiry must be allowed to find out the full facts of what happened.

But he added: "If points failure is the cause there must be a robust investigation into the management system's failings that led to it and there must be no attempt simply to scapegoat staff."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6392197.stm

[ 本帖最後由 norrislaw 於 2007-2-25 00:04 編輯 ]

原帖由 hkaiw 於 2007-2-24 23:07 發表
根據香港電台新聞提及，英國方面正在調查是否因為與路軌轉向裝置出現問題引致這次意外：
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news ... 70224_55_380913.htm
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/ ...

波口只算係suspect之一姐，又唔好見先前咁多班車過果度有事？
反而當時的rail condition、車輛荷重移動量、車輪橫壓同輪軸重量平衡問題等先係真正的keypoint。

原帖由 500 於 2007-2-25 02:39 發表


波口只算係suspect之一姐，又唔好見先前咁多班車過果度有事？
反而當時的rail condition、車輛荷重移動量、車輪橫壓同輪軸重量平衡問題等先係真正的keypoint。

意外，就係意外。如果之前果班車有事，呢班車就唔會出事。
如果知道果度會出事，咁呢班車都唔會出事。

你可唔可以講之前諗下合唔合邏輯先出post呢？

我可以話你知，是次事故係同架車本身無關，用你既邏輯去講就係:

如果款車rail condition、車輛荷重移動量、車輪橫壓同輪軸重量平衡有問題，呢款車都唔會用左幾年先出事啦，高峰期用車又唔見佢人多出事？

不過，你咁講都唔係錯，只係同全世界既調查方向背道而馳啫，你可能唔了解英國鐵路運作先會第一時間懷疑架車本身既問題。我只可以話你知，而家調查係集中喺路軌問題:

Checks on 700 sets of rail points

Up to 700 sets of points across the entire rail network are to be checked as a "precaution" following the Cumbria crash, Network Rail has said.

Investigators earlier said the accident, in which a woman died, could have been caused by a points failure.

Experts are focusing on one set that the Virgin Trains Pendolino ran across before derailing near Kendal.

Rail expert Christian Wolmar told the BBC that the points could have been defective with loose nuts and bolts.

Network Rail said engineers had already started the nationwide safety checks of between 600 and 700 sets of points.

The checks are to be carried out on high-speed rail lines on older tracks where trains travel above 85 miles per hour.

Network Rail, which is responsible for maintaining track, hopes to complete the checks within the next 24 hours.

Christian Wolmar told BBC News 24 he understood the circumstances were thought to be similar to those in the Potters Bar crash.
In that crash, in May 2002, seven people died and 76 were injured when poorly maintained points derailed a train.

"From what I understand, they have found these points in a similar condition to those at Potters Bar, with some missing nuts and the stretcher bar which keeps the rails properly apart apparently loosened," he said.

Mr Wolmar said it was up to Network Rail to ensure that the points were properly maintained and that "things like loose bolts, loose bolts and nuts, were tightened up regularly".

He added: "But there is also the possibility that these nuts and bolts were maintained in the wrong way, or not sufficiently maintained, and that's why they were in that condition."

The chief executive of Network Rail, John Armitt, acknowledged that there might have been a points failure. He said the points were last serviced earlier this month, and that track maintenance was carried out by Network Rail employees.

原帖由 500 於 2007-2-25 02:39 發表


波口只算係suspect之一姐，又唔好見先前咁多班車過果度有事？
反而當時的rail condition、車輛荷重移動量、車輪橫壓同輪軸重量平衡問題等先係真正的keypoint。

咁如果波口位/路軌有metal fatigue既情況出現,咁之前果班冇事係可能咁o岩未到breaking point,
而果部Pendolino就唔好彩地中左招.....出事..

不過..今次意外,都突顯到部車真係好硬淨(定係我大鄉里出城?)..~95mph出軌,頭卡向後調埋頭,由相度睇,
車卡都冇乜點爛/變型到 (現實上應該點都會有既..我估),連玻璃都冇乜點爛.
當然,意外現場係農地加爛地,都應該有一d幫助..

如果係其他車種,可能斷開幾段,死傷人數就應該唔止咁少....
唔知如果出意外既係First ScotRail 既Caledonian Slepper..Class 67/90+mk2/mk3客卡,事情會唔會發展得仲壞?因為果時理論上全車乘客都係zzz中.


OT : 願果位84歲既婆婆可以安息....其他傷者早日康復

原帖由 Octavian 於 2007-2-25 09:09 發表

不過..今次意外,都突顯到部車真係好硬淨(定係我大鄉里出城?)..~95mph出軌,頭卡向後調埋頭,由相度睇,
車卡都冇乜點爛/變型到 (現實上應該點都會有既..我估),連玻璃都冇乜點爛.
當然,意外現場係農地加爛地,都應該有一d幫助..

如果係其他車種,可能斷開幾段,死傷人數就應該唔止咁少....

中晒point  Pendolino係硬淨過英製列車，連Sir Richard都係咁講:

Sir Richard said the strength of the Pendolino train had helped to limit the number of casualties.

"The train itself was magnificent - it's built like a tank.

"I think if it had been any of the old trains the injuries and the mortalities would have been horrendous.

"And each carriage is built like a motor racing car with rolling bars. Not one of the carriages has crumpled, hardly any of the windows have been broken."

He told reporters he had been told that points were to blame for the accident, but he did not know how they had failed.

"Everyone is going to have to learn from this incident and Network Rail are going to have to look at this track problem and make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6392935.stm

原帖由 norrislaw 於 2007-2-25 06:54 發表


意外，就係意外。如果之前果班車有事，呢班車就唔會出事。
如果知道果度會出事，咁呢班車都唔會出事。

你可唔可以講之前諗下合唔合邏輯先出post呢？

我可以話你知，是次事故係同架車本身無關，用你既 ...

我已然可以咁講ge，當然有我的logic係入便。
如果你唔知/唔清楚我意思的話，站係個人立場上，當然歡迎就此質詢。
但係，我唔認為你有如此的「資格」去批評論我的邏輯。
如果係有point的話，請就此處作出合理的解釋。

波口故障可以有幾個：波口轉換力不良[校剪位的轉位力水不足、條path有blockage、連結棒斷裂等使波口位轉唔夠所需的位置]、
波口機out of control[極少機會、因為有interlock保護]。

沒錯我係唔知道有關波口係咪會成日切換，不過係主線段上的波口同around站區的波口的切換次數點都有一點分別。
一個差不多全日定位的波口點睇都唔會係整完一個月內就黎料ge……(根據現行的practice)
除非係成隻波口的螺絲鬆o左一部份(但宜家未有相去prove呢點wor)……

要做有關的調查，重點只實就只有兩條路行：當時軌道狀態與及當時車輛狀態。
抽車都未正式收集其車輛的行車參數就咁快話波口有事？難不成你係負責有關列車的checkup？

係直線我就唔同你爭論；但曲線段就唔得啦，要知道wheel climb現象係彎道出軌係的原兇之一。
係全部數據未有進行解釋前，到底都唔可以就此下定論的。

[ 本帖最後由 500 於 2007-2-25 19:33 編輯 ]

原帖由 Octavian 於 2007-2-25 09:09 發表

咁如果波口位/路軌有metal fatigue既情況出現,咁之前果班冇事係可能咁o岩未到breaking point,
而果部Pendolino就唔好彩地中左招.....出事..

不過..今次意外,都突顯到部車真係好硬淨(定係我大鄉里出城?).. ...

如果條軌係斷的話，行track circuit系的信號就會即時轉紅燈啦……

而有關位置的金屬疲勞現象方面，由於佢係一個月前service過，正路係suppose睇到佢的狀態的……
當然，英國鐵路的維修有幾好，大把人知……

路軌的金屬疲勞設計係可以handle到一定的通過重量，當然因為未知佢係度幾耐而唔能夠作出推測。

[ 本帖最後由 500 於 2007-2-25 19:29 編輯 ]