Train accidents on the railway. The largest railway accidents in Russia and the USSR

Rail transport is the most popular and, compared to other modes of transport, the least dangerous. Its popularity is understandable. It is capable of providing mass transportation of people and delivery of goods at any time of the day, in any weather, and at the same time, transportation from point A to point B has a low cost.

In addition, railway transport is constantly being improved. High-speed trains appear that make it possible to overcome long distance as quickly and comfortably as possible. However, they belong to public view transport, which have an increased danger due to the massive flow of people.

Railroad accidents are extremely rare, but it is necessary to have an idea of ​​how to behave in such disasters.

What can cause a railway accident?

The train moves along rail tracks using locomotive traction. The main disadvantage of this transport, which can cause an accident, is that it is tied to the paved roadway.

A small malfunction, any foreign object on it will cause the train to derail. At the same time, given the speed of the train, there will be no immediate stop.

Often an accident can be triggered by a fire, which can arise from any spark from furnaces, heating boilers, locomotives or heated vehicles. Collisions between trains also occur due to the oversight or absent-mindedness of dispatchers and drivers.

In rare cases, the causes of accidents in railway transport may also be due to such natural factors as hurricanes, tornadoes, rubble, and rockfalls. Thick fog and downpours impair visibility, which, combined with the human factor, leads to disaster.

In the event of a collision or derailment of a train, it is accompanied by a sharp stop and movement by inertia. As a result, the cars are overturned, fires and explosions occur in them, and the hull is injured.

The most negative consequences Accidents in railway transport occur during the transportation of dangerous goods: containers with chemicals or chemicals, explosive weapons, fuel. These accidents are associated with the risk of infection and poisoning of a large area of ​​the area, causing significant harm to the ecosystem. Eliminating them can be extremely difficult without consequences that will make themselves felt over time.

To prevent disasters on railway It is necessary to carry out inspection and routine thorough inspection of not only rolling stock, but also auxiliary equipment, including fire-fighting equipment and protective equipment. Particular care must be taken in diesel and electric locomotives.

Actions in case of a disaster or derailment on railway transport

Typically, emergency braking occurs suddenly. If possible, the least likely place for injury would be sitting on the floor. If you are standing, be sure to find some kind of support. Place your feet on a wall or seat and hold the handrail with your hands. The muscles should be tense to avoid damage to the bone apparatus.

There may be several shocks, so do not relax until you realize that the train has completely stopped moving. Stay away from windows during an accident as you may be injured by shrapnel.

When purchasing tickets, you should know that the outer carriages are damaged the most, while those in the center have the least risk of severe damage. Each carriage has emergency windows. You should use them immediately after the train stops, since there are high probability fire.

When leaving the carriage, take with you only the essentials: documents, money. Don't look for your luggage, it's not worth your life. Get out only on the field side to avoid getting hit by a train going on the other track.

The most dangerous situation, in which you may find yourself in the event of a railway accident, is a fire. You should move away from open fire to other cars, closing the doors tightly behind you. Big mistake the windows will open. This will only worsen the fire. Toxic gas - malminite, which is released when cars melt, is life-threatening. Don't inhale it. Cover your nose and mouth with any damp cloth or piece of clothing.

When moving, a train car can completely burn out within half an hour. In this case, it should go very quickly and clearly. Once in safe place, start helping other passengers. Don't give in to panic. Follow the instructions of the conductors and other train employees.

After leaving a damaged train, you should move a long distance away from it. If there is smoke and fire, then an explosion is possible later. You can protect yourself in case of a railway accident from a broken electrical wire if you move in small jumps. By doing this, you can avoid being exposed to step voltage. It can usually spread up to 30 m on damp ground.

In situations where doors and emergency exits are blocked by stones, water, mudflows, you should remain calm and let them know your location by knocking. Rescue teams will definitely come to the aid of all victims.

Correct actions of a conductor in case of emergency

If any signs of an emergency situation are detected (smoke, burning smell, sparking, overheating of equipment) in the parking lot or while the train is moving, the conductor must first act according to the following scheme:

• Report the situation to your supervisor railway transport or the chief electrician
• Proceed further in accordance with their instructions

Conductors in neighboring cars, having heard the alarm, must immediately approach the place where the emergency situation occurs. They should get involved in providing necessary assistance injured passengers, take action to prevent new accidents and help eliminate the accident and its consequences.

In the event of a fire, the conductor reports the situation to the supervisor, then proceeds to evacuate people. In addition, he organizes the safety of official documentation and material assets. When extinguishing a fire, it is necessary to use fire extinguishing agents at hand or available in the carriage.

How should the work of conductors be organized correctly in the event of a fire while the train is moving?

Instruction OAD Russian Railways 959R dated May 24, 2007 contains the following procedure:

1. An employee on duty contacts his partner
2. Using the stop valve, it carries out an emergency stop of transport. Exceptions for stopping are: tunnel, bridge, overpass, aqueduct. In these places it will be difficult to quickly evacuate passengers and organize fire extinguishing.
3. On duty intercom the conductor reports the situation to the supervisor or the mechanic on duty, and the driver should also be notified.
4. Inform passengers about evacuation. During the day, the car should be completely de-energized, and at night, only the emergency lighting. Open all doors in the vestibule and lock them.
5. If there are emergency windows, open them. If there is no possibility of rescuing people through the vestibule doors, then it is necessary to break the windows behind the fire.
6. A fire in a carriage always spreads opposite movement train direction. This must be taken into account when organizing the evacuation of passengers.
7. Disembarkation is carried out on the field side
8. Fire extinguishing must be carried out simultaneously with evacuation. To avoid suffocation, you should use self-rescuer isolation kits (SPI-20) or RPE (respiratory protective equipment). Be sure to know and follow specified time protective action and the temperature of exposure to the kits. Such information is available in the product passport.
9. While extinguishing a fire, all end doors of vestibules in adjacent cars must be closed.

A fire can be extinguished by any available means. If sand is used, protect your eyes from it. To do this, do not lift the shovel too high. Using a fire-resistant cloth (felt), cover the fire completely with it.

If clothing on a person catches fire, you must immediately knock it down, but not with your bare hands. If it is not possible to quickly throw off or tear off the tanned part of the clothing, then throw any dense fabric (tarpaulin, blanket) over the victim. This will cut off the oxygen supply and the fire will go out.

When using dry powder or carbon dioxide extinguishers, the handler must direct the foam stream at the the opposite side from finding people. If the extinguishing agent gets on your skin, remove it with any cloth and then rinse thoroughly with water.

These types of fire extinguishers should be used in case of fire in electrical equipment with an operating voltage of up to 1000 V. Do not bring it near open fire closer than 1 m, and also hold on to the bell.

After removing the voltage and grounding the contact network, as well as receiving the appropriate permission from the electrician, you can use water or foam-based fire extinguishers to extinguish. If the voltage cannot be removed, then burning objects located near electrical equipment should be extinguished at a distance of more than 7 m using any fire extinguishing means. However, it is necessary to control the distance between the jet and live parts. It should not be less than 2 m.

Rules of conduct when using railway transport

You can protect yourself in advance if you follow established rules behavior while traveling by train.

These include:

• When choosing seats, give preference to the lower shelves, which are closer to the exit or emergency exits and located in the central carriages.
• Do not stand on footrests while driving
• Don't stick your head or hands out the windows
• It is better to clarify in advance the location of fire extinguishers and emergency exit points.
• Without emergency do not use the stop valve. Remember that sudden braking can lead to injury to many passengers and derailment of the train.
• Secure the doors in the compartment, otherwise when you stop they will move and can injure a person.
• Do not place heavy items, especially fragile items, on the top shelves.
• It is forbidden to take as hand luggage, as well as placing explosive or flammable liquids in the luggage compartment.

Be careful when traveling when communicating elementary rules politeness. Don't drink alcohol and narcotic substances, keep an eye on your valuables.

Elimination of consequences of the accident

In the event of a railway accident, the arriving rescue teams first begin to assess the situation. Collect data on the causes of the disaster, possible risks and areas of greatest danger.

The next stage is to determine the boundaries of the consequences of the accident and cordon off the area. The source of the fire is being sought and extinguished. Victims are being removed from the mangled carriages. If necessary, additional hatches are made in the cars for faster evacuation of people. It appears at the scene of the accident medical care to the victims.

In the event of a fuel spill or chemical substance it is localized and eliminated. Must be taken into account possible harm caused to the area. Lastly, work is being carried out to restore the railway track and electrical networks. You can find out more about it in our article.

On July 31, 1815, the Philadelphia Disaster occurred, which became the first railroad disaster in history. We decided to give a list of the most terrible disasters on the railway throughout history.

Occurred on July 31, 1815 during a test of the Mechanical Traveler steam locomotive. The train developed a low speed and in order to impress the public, the creators decided to increase it by increasing the pressure in the boiler tank. The ensuing explosion killed 16 people. Among the dead were mainly workers, but several outside observers were also affected. In some sources, this accident is not considered a railway accident, since it did not occur on the main road, but at a special testing site. Anyway, Philadelphian train accident remained in history in first place in terms of the number of deaths from a steam boiler explosion.

On May 8, 1842, the Versailles railway disaster occurred, killing more than fifty people. The terrible incident happened because the train derailed due to a faulty axle. At the time of the incident, the carriages were crowded with people, as the train was moving from Versailles to after the events taking place in the city mass celebrations. Due to such a terrible coincidence, the number of victims turned out to be so colossal. After the first car derailed, the pusher at the rear of the train continued moving, causing a fire.

Occurred on October 22, 1875. One locomotive transported both people and oil; in poor visibility conditions, the driver did not see the traffic lights. By coincidence, the train flew onto an unfinished section of rails, after which it went downhill. Oil tanks caught fire, leading to huge sacrifices. According to official data, 70 people died.

On December 28, 1879, one of the largest disasters occurred on the bridge over the River Tay. Due to gusty, heavy winds, several spans of the bridge were blown out, causing the train to fall into the water. All 75 passengers in the carriages were killed.

On July 16, 1945, the largest railway disaster in German history occurred. A train carrying prisoners of war crashed into a US Army train, causing the train to derail, causing the carriages to catch fire and causing numerous casualties on both trains.

On August 6, 1952, one of the deadliest disasters in the USSR occurred, killing about 109 people. The disaster occurred because the train ran over a horse. According to official data, a train weighing a thousand tons was derailed because of the animal. In fact, the disaster occurred, among other things, due to the overload of the train, as well as the imperfection of the safety measures of that time.

Train crash at Harrow & Wealdstone station

On October 8, 1952, a train crash occurred in London. A train pulled into the train standing on the platform. Then a locomotive rushing at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour flew into the resulting traffic jam. The tragedy resulted in 340 casualties and 112 deaths.

On June 6, 1981, one of the worst train accidents in history occurred. Due to an attempt to stop in front of an animal running onto the road, as well as due to heavy winds, 7 carriages carrying about a thousand people were overturned into the water. About five thousand passengers died in the disaster.

The largest disaster in Russian history occurred on June 3, 1989. Due to an accident on the pipeline, when two oncoming trains were passing, the air-fuel mixture that had accumulated in the lowland ignited, resulting in powerful explosion, who scattered the trains like matchboxes. The tragedy resulted in a gigantic fire that killed 645 people and disabled hundreds. About 200 children died during the crash. The force of the explosion was comparable to the power of the explosion atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The column of flame was visible hundreds of kilometers away.

On December 26, 2004, the largest and deadliest railway tragedy occurred. Due to the earthquake in Indian Ocean and the resulting tsunami that hit the railway running along the coast, the train was washed into the ocean. About 2,000 people died.

Rail transport is one of the most inexpensive, convenient and safe. That is why passengers often choose it. Nevertheless, disasters also occur on railways. When are the trains leaving? full speed collide or go downhill, it turns out that powerful destructive forces come into play.

The rumbling trains become uncontrollable, and man can no longer stop the catastrophe. Inside the carriages, a real hell unfolds, which makes a real mess out of human bodies. People discuss plane crashes, forgetting about the biggest railroad accidents. But these disasters also claimed the lives of hundreds of people.

Train fire in Egypt, 2002. This disaster happened to a passenger train that was traveling from Cairo to Luxor on February 20, 2002. A gas cylinder exploded in one of the carriages at 2 a.m. - passengers used it to warm themselves. The driver did not notice that his train was on fire and continued driving at full speed. A total of seven carriages burned out, almost to the ground. Of these, six were in the cheap third class. Each of them was designed for 150 people, but in fact they carried twice as many passengers. The disaster reached such proportions due to the train being overloaded. The unfortunate ones had to jump out onto full speed ahead jumping out of burning cars, which also led to deaths and injuries. According to official information, about 383 people were burned in the fire, and several hundred were seriously injured. However, it was never possible to find out the exact number of victims, since there was no full list passengers. The fire was so intense that many of the corpses turned to ash, making it impossible to identify them. Rumors speak of a thousand victims, which can no longer be proven. As a result of this incident, Egypt's Minister of Transport was forced to resign.

Awash disaster, 1985. This train accident is considered the worst in African history. It happened in Ethiopia on January 14, 1985 with a train traveling on the Addis Ababa-Djibouti route. Train on high speed drove onto a curved bridge. The driver was unable or forgot to slow down the train. As a result, four of the five express cars with a thousand passengers and seven cars collapsed into the ravine. At least 428 people were killed, and the number of wounded exceeded five hundred. Moreover, almost all the victims were in in serious condition. The nearest decent hospital was a hundred kilometers from the accident site. If earlier in Ethiopia local separatists attacked trains, then in in this case There was no talk of any sabotage initially. The driver was blamed and was immediately sent to trial.

Torre del Bierzo, 1944. On January 3, 1944, near the Spanish village of Torre del Bierzo, a mail train with failed brakes began to enter tunnel number 20. There was a shunting train with three cars, which did not have time to leave the track. Two carriages ended up inside the tunnel when a collision occurred with a courier train. The fire immediately consumed the wooden structures and destroyed the first six carriages of the mail train. On the other side, a steam locomotive with 27 loaded cars entered the tunnel. The driver of the shunting train signaled as best he could, but he was ignored. The alarm system was damaged due to the fire. The disaster turned into a major fire that could not be extinguished for two whole days. This made it impossible to launch a rescue operation. It was not possible to calculate the exact number of victims - the Franco regime officially announced 78 dead. However, there were many stowaways on the train, and the fire destroyed human remains. Today it is generally accepted that the number of victims was in the hundreds - the train was overcrowded, because many were going to the Christmas market. Already in the 40s they talked about 200-250 dead, but today it is believed that there could be 500-800.

Balvano, 1944. During World War II, disruptions in the supply of goods led to the flourishing of the black market. By 1944, speculators and small businessmen were hiding on freight trains to reach their suppliers' farms. But in those years, a situation arose on the railway with a shortage of high-quality coal. As a result, lower-order substitutes went into the furnace, which produced a huge volume carbon monoxide. It was extremely poisonous, but had no odor, which made it undetectable. On March 2, 1944, significantly overloaded train 8017, carrying cars, got stuck inside a steep tunnel. Its crew, passengers and several hundred passengers, including those illegally huddled outside, were exposed to those same carbon monoxide fumes. The only survivors were those who were traveling in the last carriages and did not have time to enter the tunnel. That accident officially claimed the lives of 426 people, but in reality there were one and a half times more victims.

Ufa, 1989. This train accident is considered the largest in the history of the USSR and Russia. It happened on June 4 on the Asha-Ulu-Telyak stretch. Nearby was the Western Siberia - Ural pipeline, through which a liquefied mixture of gas and gasoline was transmitted. A narrow gap formed in it, through which gas accumulated in the lowland. That's where it lay Trans-Siberian Railway. Shortly before the disaster, instruments showed a drop in pressure, but the duty officer decided not to look for a leak, but increased the gas supply even more. As a result, even more flammable hydrocarbons leaked through the crack, which could ignite from any spark. The drivers also knew about the heavy gas pollution on the site, but the railway workers did not pay attention to this. special significance. At 01:15 at night, two passenger trains met on the stretch - traveling from Novosibirsk to Adler and back. It is quite possible that as a result of braking, a spark was formed, which caused a volumetric explosion. Its strength was such that in the city of Asha, at a distance of 10 kilometers, the blast wave broke the windows. In total, there were 1,284 passengers on the trains, including 383 children. Shock wave threw 11 cars off the tracks, seven of them were completely burned. According to official data, 575 people died (unofficially - 645), almost all survivors became disabled and received severe burns. The rescue operation was difficult due to the inaccessibility of the area.

Bihar crash, 1981. The disaster occurred between the cities of Mansi and Saharsa. June marks the monsoon season in India. risen hurricane wind overturned seven carriages of a train that was crossing the bridge into the river. According to another version, the flood simply washed away the train. It contained from eight hundred to three thousand people. They also talk about a cow that appeared inopportunely on the way. The driver braked sharply, and the cars began to slide along the wet rails, falling off the bridge. Help was hours away, and most of the passengers drowned or were swept away by the raging river long before rescuers arrived. In the first five days, two hundred dead were found, and the fate of several hundred passengers remained unknown.

Guadalajara, 1915. That year the Mexican Revolution was in full swing. Despite the change of power, President Carranza continued to wage armed struggle against his opponents. On January 18, 1915, government forces captured the city of Guadalajara in the southwest of the country. The President ordered that the soldiers' families be transported there by rail from the city of Colima on the Pacific coast. On January 22, 1915, a special train with 20 overloaded cars set off. People even sat on the roofs and clung outside. Somewhere along the way, the driver lost control of the train on a long, steep descent. Many people flew out of the carriages at sharp turns. As a result, in a deep canyon the train finally derailed. Of the 900 passengers, less than a third survived. It is known that many Mexicans even committed suicide after learning about the death of all their loved ones. There were those who wanted to take revenge on the traveling crew, but they also all died during the disaster.

Disaster near Churya, 1917. The route between the Romanian Ciurea and Barlad is marked by a steep 15-kilometer gradient, which in some places is up to 6.7%. On January 13, at one o'clock in the afternoon, a train with 26 cars, driven by two locomotives, passed here. It transported wounded Russian soldiers and refugees hiding from the advancing Germans. And in this case, the train was crowded - people were riding on the roofs and even between the cars. Such an abundance of people led to the fact that they simply damaged the pipelines of the brake system. As a result, during the descent, the drivers discovered that they could not slow down. The braking power of the two locomotives was not enough. The drivers noticed that they were rushing straight towards another train standing at the platform. When trying to switch to another track at high speed, the train derailed. 24 cars went downhill. A fire broke out in a pile of twisted metal, killing between 600 and 1,000 passengers.

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, 1917. This railway accident was the largest in French history. On December 12, in train No. 612, more than a thousand soldiers were returning home for Christmas. The train was made up of different carriages, mostly Italian. It turned out to be so long that it had to be carried by two locomotives. In addition, part of the route ran through a steep descent of 33%. But only one locomotive was found; the second was requisitioned to transport ammunition. And of all the cars, only three had air brakes; the rest had special brakers. The driver agreed to drive such an overloaded train only under the threat of a tribunal. At first it was possible to control the speed, but on the descent the train accelerated to 135 kilometers per hour. During one of the sharp turns, the coupling broke and the first car went off the rails. The others began to crash into him and the wooden structures burst into flames. The fire intensified due to the fact that many soldiers were carrying ammunition and grenades with them. Despite the help that quickly arrived here, there was no one to save. In total, about 700 people died in that disaster; many bodies could not be identified at all. People were buried in one mass grave. At first the disaster was hushed up, as military secret, but four days later the press reported to the whole world an unprecedented accident. Six railway workers were brought to trial, but they were acquitted.

Peraliya crash, 2004. This disaster was the largest in the history of railway transport. The culprit was not the human factor, as in most other cases, but the natural elements. The Queen of the Sea passenger train made regular trips to the southern part of the island. Obeying semaphore signals, the train stopped in an open area 170 meters from the sea. More than one and a half thousand passengers were traveling on the train. At that moment, a tsunami up to 9 meters high hit the island. Panic arose; local residents began to flock to the train, seeing it as a refuge from the water. The second 7-meter wave tore apart the train. Due to the crush, passengers were unable to escape from the carriages, which turned from a refuge into a death trap. 30-ton carriages were thrown hundreds of meters into the jungle, even an 80-ton diesel locomotive was carried away 50 meters. Those of the unfortunate passengers who were not crushed by the train simply drowned. Only 150 lucky ones survived. Due to the scale of the disaster caused by the tsunami quick help and there was no talk. And the main road to the accident site turned out to be a damaged railway track. The number of victims is believed to be between 1,700 and 2,000. It turned out to be impossible to identify most of them, and two cars were even carried away into the ocean.

There is less talk about phobia regarding traveling on trains than about aerophobia. Being in an environment familiar to a person, and not in the air, creates the illusion of complete safety. However major disaster passenger train in Spain, which killed more than 70 people and injured more than 150, reminded how relative safety is in our technological age.

In less than 13 years of the 21st century, several dozen major disasters on the railways of the world.

Express hit by tsunami

On December 26, 2004, perhaps the largest train derailment in the history of railway transport occurred. It was not the fault of people and equipment - the cause was the violence of the elements.

The infamous tsunami hit Sri Lanka in December 2004. The moment when destructive waves approached the coast of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, along the railway that ran close to the sea, moved to failure packed with people passenger train.

Ironically, the express wore beautiful name"Queen of the Sea". The composition was very popular among tourists because most of During his journey, he moved several tens of meters from the water. On the eve of the Christmas holidays it turned out huge amount And local residents who were traveling home for the holidays from business centers, and travelers who decide to admire the views of Sri Lanka.

The exact number of passengers remains unknown - in addition to the 1,500 officially traveling on the train, there were several hundred free riders, which is common in Asian countries.

A train stopped at a red signal was hit by a tsunami near the village of Peraliya. The train with people was literally swept away by water. An 80-ton diesel locomotive was thrown 50 meters, and 30-ton carriages were scattered across the surrounding area. Two carriages were carried into the ocean.

The destruction in the region was such that the first rescuers were able to reach the train only on the third day. The exact number of victims is unlikely to ever be established - according to the most rough estimates, of the 1,900 people on the train, no more than 150 survived.

This train is on fire

On February 20, 2002, in Egypt, a passenger train was traveling along the route Cairo - Luxor. This route is always extremely busy, the cheapest third class carriages are especially crowded. With a capacity of 150 people, they manage to accommodate more than 300 at a time.

Near the city of Al-Ayyat, one of the third-class carriages caught fire. For unknown reasons, the driver did not immediately notice the fire, and the flaming train drove for about ten kilometers.

On high speed the flames were rapidly gaining strength. As a result, the flames engulfed the entire train, seven cars burned to the ground. Six of them belonged to the third class.

People burned alive, jumped out of windows at full speed in fear and fell to their deaths. In total, more than 380 people became victims of the disaster, several hundred received burns and injuries.

Dangerous goods

On the night of February 17-18, 2004 in Iran, near the city of Nishapur at the Abu Muslim station, train, consisting of 51 cars, suddenly rolled out of its parking lot and rushed down the slope. The unauthorized journey lasted about 20 kilometers until the carriages derailed and caught fire near the village of Khayyam at about 4 am.

Rescuers and firefighters arrived at the scene of the emergency, and hundreds of curious people gathered around. The cars were loaded with sulfur, gasoline, nitrate fertilizers and cotton. In most countries, such cargoes are classified as explosive, but in Iran they were all considered non-hazardous until February 2004.

In addition to ordinary onlookers, journalists and even local politicians turned up at the crash site, trying to increase their popularity before the upcoming elections.

The firefighters seemed to have the situation under control, but at about half past nine in the morning the cargo suddenly detonated. Experts subsequently estimated the power of the explosion at 180 tons. TNT equivalent. The village of Khayyam was destroyed, and the explosion itself was heard even 70 kilometers from the epicenter.

The death of 295 people was officially announced, including more than 180 firefighters, rescuers and officials. 460 people were injured. Foreign observers believe that the data on casualties and wounded are significantly underestimated.

Terrorist attack

The suicide bombings were carried out during the morning rush hour in order to achieve maximum number victims. Initially, the Spanish government suspected Basque separatists from the ETA movement of organizing the terrorist attack, but representatives of this movement categorically denied their involvement.

As it turned out later, the sabotage was carried out by radical Islamists close to Al-Qaeda.

The attacks were carefully planned: they were carried out three days before parliamentary elections in Spain and exactly 911 days after the attack on the United States on September 11, 2001 (“9/11”).

The explosions killed 192 people from 17 countries and injured more than 2,050.

A year later, on March 11, 2005, a memorial in honor of the victims of the terrorist attack, “Forest of the Dead,” was opened near Madrid’s Atocha train station. In memory of the victims, 22 olive trees and 170 cypress trees were planted.

Speeding

Japanese railways are considered one of the most reliable and safe in the world, but even here they are not without incidents.

April 25, 2005 late high speed train 5418M significantly exceeded the speed when passing dangerous turn. Instead of the required 70 kilometers per hour, the train entered the turn at a speed of 116 kilometers per hour.

As a result, the train derailed and literally flew into a multi-level automatic parking building near Amagasaki Station. The first two carriages were literally flattened by the impact, and the rest were also hit hard.

There were about 700 people on the train, of whom 107 died and 562 were injured.

The causes of the disaster were considered different versions, however, an analysis of all the data showed that the culprit of the tragedy was a 23-year-old driver Ryujiro Takami. The young specialist had already been reprimanded for driving mistakes, and on this trip, shortly before the accident, he made a mistake with the braking, driving at the station 40 meters further than expected. It was for this reason that the train was late.

Fearing another penalty, Takami became, as they say, “reckless” and destroyed the train and people. Ryujiro Takami himself also died in the disaster.

Train accidents always lead to horrific consequences. And, unfortunately, Russia, like other countries, has repeatedly experienced the truth of of this statement. Its history can recall more than a dozen disasters that occurred on the railway tracks.

Mountains of torn metal and thousands of shed tears are what remains after such tragedies. And also, the incomprehensible sadness of mothers and wives whose loved ones were taken away by an inexorable fate. Almost everything railway accidents and disasters filled with it. Therefore, let's remember the biggest tragedies that occurred on the territory of the USSR and Russia in order to honor the memory of those who died in them.

The danger hidden in progress

When the first trains appeared, no one thought about how terrible train accidents could be. And even after the first out-of-control diesel locomotive took the lives of 16 people in Philadelphia in 1815, the world said: “What can you do, sometimes this happens.”

Indeed, today it is difficult to overestimate the benefits that trains bring to our lives. After all, thanks to them, trips even to the most distant corners of Russia no longer seem as incredible and long as before. And yet we should never forget that progress brings not only good, but also destruction. And the stories described below - direct to that proof.

The first railway accidents in the USSR

1930 was a real horror for railroad workers. There are two reasons for this major accidents that happened in it. Subsequently, many residents of the country began to be afraid to use the services of “steam cabs”, choosing more reliable means of transportation.

So, the first accident occurred on the night of September 7-8 in the Moscow region. Passenger train No. 34 arrived at Pererve station, near the village of Maryino. Driver Makarov, who was driving the locomotive, immediately warned the station authorities that his train was damaged, and he had already stopped several times to correct the problems.

Makarov suggested replacing his diesel locomotive with another one in order to avoid possible troubles. However, his request was not fulfilled. Instead, he was given an additional locomotive to help him along the way. Unfortunately, similar solution not only aggravated existing problem, but also led to tragic consequences.

So, when trying to move, the reinforced diesel locomotive broke all connections between the cabin and the passenger train. As a result, the locomotive moved forward, but the cars remained standing still. And everything would have been fine if the dispatcher had not given an early order to another train to arrive at the platform.

And now another passenger train is rushing towards the platform at full steam. Only a few meters from the station, the driver notices passenger cars standing in his way. Even emergency braking did not help stop the train in time. Subsequently, the collision injured more than 40 people, and 13 died on the spot.

Collision between train and tram

In the same year, another tragedy occurred in St. Petersburg. On the railway passage, near the Moscow Gate, a freight train, backing up, hit a tram passing by. The impact tore off the last carriage and fell straight onto the passenger side. Unfortunately, by the time firefighters arrived, most people had already died.

Like other train accidents, this one occurred due to an absurd coincidence of circumstances. After all, as the investigation showed, on that day the control center suddenly stopped working, the workers servicing the tracks did not have time to move the switches in time, and the tram driver noticed the impending threat too late.

And such an absurd coincidence of circumstances took away 28 human lives, and the 19 surviving passengers never used public transport again.

Major railway accidents of the post-war period

The end of the war brought peace. New cities and towns began to be built everywhere, and the first conquerors of Siberia set off on their entertaining journey through the snowy region. Millions of kilometers of tracks were laid throughout the country.

But the price for such a leap in progress was the large-scale train accidents that occurred in post-war years. And the worst of them happened near the Drovnino station, which is located in the Moscow region.

On August 6, 1952, locomotive No. 438 was supposed to deliver its passengers to Moscow. However, at approximately 2 a.m., he collided with a horse that was crossing the railroad tracks. Despite the light weight of the animal, the locomotive derailed and pulled the entire train with it.

The carriages went downhill one by one, crushing each other with their weight. When rescuers arrived at the crash site, they saw mountains of crumpled metal that buried a third of the passengers. And those who survived spent a long time recovering from the injuries they received during the accident.

According to official data, the train accident in Drovnino resulted in 109 deaths and 211 injuries. For a long time was considered the largest train wreck in the USSR until it was overshadowed by even greater grief.

1989 train accident

As mentioned earlier, many tragedies are caused by an incredible combination of circumstances. If it weren’t for them, then perhaps the world would never have felt the pain that the train accident near Ufa (1989) brought with it.

It all started on June 4, 1989 with a gas leak 10 kilometers from the city of Auchan. It was caused by a small hole in the pipeline, which opened 40 minutes before the tragedy. Sadly, the gas company knew about it, since the instruments showed a pressure surge in the pipes in advance. However, instead of cutting off the supply of blue fuel, they only increased its pressure.

Because of this, near railway tracks Explosive condensate began to accumulate. And when two passenger trains passed here at 01:15 (local time), it detonated. The explosion was so strong that it scattered the carriages throughout the area as if they weighed nothing at all. But, even worse, the condensation-soaked ground began to glow like a torch.

The terrible consequences of the disaster near Ufa

Even residents of Auchan, located 11 kilometers from the scene of the event, were able to feel the destructive power of the explosion. A huge column of fire lit up the night sky, and many even thought that a rocket had fallen there. And even if it was just a ridiculous guess, the reality turned out to be no less terrifying.

When the first rescuers arrived at the crash site, they saw the ground on fire and the train cars burned to the ground. But the worst thing was to hear the voices of those who could not get out of the fiery trap. Their prayers and tears are still for many years chased rescuers at night.

As a result, even the largest railway companies seemed insignificant compared to this tragedy. After all, about 600 people died from fire and burns, and the same number were seriously injured. To this day, this disaster resonates with pain in the hearts of people who lost their relatives and friends in it.

Accidents that occurred on the railway in the 90s

With the collapse Soviet Union the railways did not stop. In particular, in 1992 there were two major tragedies, which took with them many human lives.

The first accident occurred in early March, on the Velikiye Luki - Rzhev section. Due to the extreme cold, the train warning system failed, and the two trains simply did not know they were approaching each other. As a result, the passenger diesel locomotive crashed into the tail of a freight train standing at a crossing. As a result, 43 people will never be able to see their family again, and more than 100 were left with serious injuries.

In the same month, Riga - Moscow, having ignored the prohibiting traffic light, collided with a freight train. The frontal impact claimed the lives of 43 people, including the drivers of both diesel locomotives.

Tragedies of the new millennium

As sad as it may be, progress cannot yet protect passengers from risk. Train accidents in Russia occur even today, despite global improvements in safety systems.

So, on July 15, 2014, another tragedy occurred in the Moscow metro. An electric train carrying passengers derailed at Victory Park - Slavyansky Boulevard. As a result, 24 people died and more than 200 were injured.