Transrapid maglev train crash - North West Germany

BBC News: Magnetic train crashes in Germany. Quote:


I guess this puts a rather larger spanner in the works, and knowing Germany means that it will be a long time before anything gets done if ever.



Related topic: Transrapid rail link to Munich Airport

The shanghai one is great!

The reason it crashed is that there was wagon left on tracks which no one knew about...train crashed into it. so it was NO technical hitch or anything like that.

well thats encouraging then isn't it. you'll be travelling at 400kmh and they dont know whats on the track...

Crikey!

Awful accident but maybe with a silver lining.

that could happen to a normal ICE if someone screws up, not much you can do at 100mph or at 200mph when you are told all clear and suddenly there is a wagon in front of you.

and very little less when your doing 400? plus a train will derail and then not have to fall 5 metres to the ground. you know what germany is like. people dont eat beef because of bse still. they'll be enquiries and protests and the insistance of a full automated safety system to be installed, and the opporating cost of this system just went up through the roof, but there's a really happy insurer somewhere.

Stop-press item: A transrapid train collided with a work-train this morning in northern Germany, it did not derail. No news yet about the number of casualties. More soon.
EDIT: Link to the Süddeutsche Zeitung - headline reads Several Dead in Transrapid crash


The crash occurred on the test track in the Emsland at a speed of 200 kph, several people dies. "There are several fatalities" the county's spokesman said. Some of the victims sustained severe injuries.

Topics merged by admin

There has been a serious accident with the TransRapid in Emsland/Niedersachsen. Several killed, when the TransRapid hit a maintenance car. Article in FTD

Topics merged by admin

Anybody wanna wager a guess that this might be a conspiracy by the Govt. to close the test center, and build a working line in Munich...

Anybody want to guess when the people down here will start to say something along the lines of: With crash of the TR at the test track, Munich's TR link would or could be used for prod. tests yaada yaada...

Remember the episode of The Simpsons and the monorail?

First pictures of the scene of the accident

Still no definite numbers as to fatalities.

At least fifteen dead they are saying now.

According to the Suddeutsche link above its now 23 dead, 10 seriously injured, possibly more fatalities. Still no explanation about why the maintenance car was on the track.

Atleast 25 dead and why didn't they know it was on the line in the first place?

"Menschliches Versagen" - human error. The work train was parked on the track, from what I have heard and read. The persons responsible for that "error" will be tried and get a couple of years on probation, and Stoiber will say that accidents like that can never happen in Bavaria.