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At least 10 killed as train derails during testing in eastern France

Ryuzaki

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ECKWERSHEIM: A train undergoing a trial on a new high-speed line from Paris to Strasbourg derailed on Saturday near the German border, killing 10 people, the local prefecture said.

Another 32 people were injured, 12 seriously. Five more people were unaccounted for, as it was not clear whether they had actually boarded.


Environment Minister Segolene Royal said at the scene that the 49 people believed to be on board the trial run had included not only staff from the SNCF railway but also their family members and other guests.

The accident was caused by excessive speed, although it was too early to say why the train was going that fast, the prefecture said.

Royal also said that sabotage had been all but ruled out. But the accident jarred nerves coming less than a day after gunmen and suicide bombers killed 129 people in waves of attacks in Paris.

Pictures from a Reuters photographer at the scene of the train accident showed the locomotive partly submerged in a canal alongside the tracks with other parts lying broken and detached in a field beside the track. Medical units including police divers were on the scene.

The second section of the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed TGV line on which the crash happened is set to open for service in April 2016.

Read more at:
At least 10 killed as train derails during testing in eastern France - The Economic Times
 
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My condolences to the deceased, and wish the injured get well soon.

10 killed after high-speed TGV train derails in France - CNN.com

By Jethro Mullen, CNN

Updated 0448 GMT (1248 HKT) November 15, 2015


151115122851-france-tgv-train-derail-1-exlarge-169.jpg

Rescuers arrive at the scene where a high-speed train derailed and crashed into a canal in eastern France on Saturday.

(CNN) At least 10 people were killed in eastern France on Saturday after a high-speed train came off the tracks and plunged into a canal during a test run, authorities said.

Around 50 people -- mostly engineers and other railway staff -- were aboard the TGV when it derailed outside the city of Strasbourg, according to the French railway operator SNCF.

Images from the scene showed sections of the train partially submerged in the canal, near a bridge.

Besides those killed, five other people remain unaccounted for, 12 were seriously injured and 22 were slightly injured, the French Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy said in a statement.

The news agency Agence France-Presse reported that it was the country's first fatal TGV accident in three decades.



@AndrewJin
 
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What was the speed at the time of accident?

It reminds me of China's "Father of HSR", Mr. Liu Zhijun. Whenever China's high speed trains were on trial runs, or on speed record setting runs, he was always in the cockpit. I did not know it could be this dangerous. Salute to Mr. Liu!
 
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What was the speed at the time of accident?

It reminds me of China's "Father of HSR", Mr. Zhang Zhijun. Whenever China's high speed trains were on trial runs, or on speed record setting runs, he was always in the cockpit. I did not know it could be this dangerous. Salute to Mr. Zhang!
Thankfully the railway is still in test.
It is said that the maximum speed of the new line is over 300km/h. But from the photo, it is quite a sharp curve, which is definitely not suitable for 300km/h. It must be a limited speed section. I guess, it could be the problem of superelevation or, they were testing an unbearable speed to the railway.
@anant_s

W020151115490273000632.jpg
 
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I sympathize with France. The said country is having bad luck constantly.
 
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Thankfully the railway is still in test.
It is said that the maximum speed of the new line is over 300km/h. But from the photo, it is quite a sharp curve, which is definitely not suitable for 300km/h. It must be a limited speed section. I guess, it could be the problem of superelevation or, they were testing an unbearable speed to the railway.
@anant_s

View attachment 272237

It was supposed to be a matured technology for France. "Terrible Horrible Not a Good Day" for France! RIP!
 
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RIP to deceased.
France is having a tough time

Thankfully the railway is still in test.
It is said that the maximum speed of the new line is over 300km/h. But from the photo, it is quite a sharp curve, which is definitely not suitable for 300km/h. It must be a limited speed section. I guess, it could be the problem of superelevation or, they were testing an unbearable speed to the railway.
@anant_s

View attachment 272237

Absolutely, usually HST tracks have much gentler curves (Higher radius). This doesn't look particularly gentle curve.
To add to your comment Andrew, curves usually have banking (one rail slightly higher than other) and that banking is a function of speed. Now there is a bridge and it could be possible that this banking / super elevation might have had some difference wrt to track preceding bridge, leading to this catastrophe.
superele.gif

Cant (road/rail) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It reminds me of China's "Father of HSR", Mr. Liu Zhijun. Whenever China's high speed trains were on trial runs, or on speed record setting runs, he was always in the cockpit. I did not know it could be this dangerous. Salute to Mr. Liu!
Great Leaders lead by example. There are professional hazards in every job, but how you encourage and lead your team, differentiates great leaders from good ones!
 
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