France - railways, public transport, services and incidents (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[stuving]

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) have developed their own version of Sod's law, which is that something always goes wrong on a summer holiday weekend. The weekends in July and August are when the long-distance network is busiest. This year's speciality is fires, as on this Marseille-Paris TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) (train 2916) that burst into flames this afternoon.
Reported (not in English) with this picture:


The last time was on August 2nd (a Sunday) and was nominally an AVE, but still an Alstom-built TGV, run jointly by RENFE^▸ (Spanish National Railways (Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Espanoles)) and SNCF. This was at Lunel, near Montpellier, on the (scenic) route from Pars to Madrid.

As you can see that one was on 1500V DC^▸ (Direct Current), though as the second one was 25 kV that can't be a big factor.

That was on the biggest chass^-crois^ weekend, when the juillettistes going home fight their way past the ao^tiens going to replace them on the beaches. The same day, there was a TGV that hit a heavy farm tractor near Rennes. The tractor crashed through from a field and rolled down into a cutting. Followed by much head-scratching about what you could practically do to prevent that.

Then there was that catenary support hit by a car - 17th July, a Friday (reported in this forum).

I can vaguely remember at least on other spoiled weekend too.

[Adelante_CCT]

And to add to the woes in France:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11817679/France-high-speed-train-shooting-what-we-know-so-far.html

[stuving]

And here's another thing ...

Today Montpellier was struck by flash flooding, for the third time in a year (it happened twice in ten days last September). A TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) was derailed by a landslip, which blocked the line from N^mes (and reportedly between Narbonne to Toulouse as well). This is not an LGV^▸ (Large Goods Vehicle) - there is a plan to build one which should be starting about now - but it is the main line from the Rhone valley towards Toulouse and Spain, and the main TGV route to Spain.

Reportedly the passengers were evacuated on another train, as they were stuck in a flooded cutting.

[Red Squirrel]

Had me confused for a moment - until I remembered there's another Montpelier somewhere...

[plymothian]

"The UK^▸ (United Kingdom) railway is shit, they never have these problems abroad..."

[stuving]

Today Montpellier was struck by flash flooding, for the third time in a year (it happened twice in ten days last September). A TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) was derailed by a landslip, which blocked the line from N^mes (and reportedly between Narbonne to Toulouse as well). This is not an LGV^▸ (Large Goods Vehicle) - there is a plan to build one which should be starting about now - but it is the main line from the Rhone valley towards Toulouse and Spain, and the main TGV route to Spain.

I am impressed that SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) had the line open initially with one track by 07:00 today, promising full operation later today, since the blockage was at 15:00 yesterday. 

Incidentally, the storm struck Montpellier at 14:00 - so the rise of water to flood levels was fast. M^o France are reporting a new record rainfall rate of 110 mm/hr. Now that really is heavy rain.

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

A high-speed TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) train has derailed near the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing at least seven people, officials say.

The crash happened during a test run in the town of Eckwersheim, on a new Paris-Strasbourg line.
Reports say technicians were on board the train and seven people were injured.

The injured have been taken to hospital by helicopters.

The AFP news agency quotes the Alsace regional prefecture as saying the derailment happened due to "excessive speed".

Pictures later showed the locomotive partly submerged in a canal alongside the track. Wreckage was also scattered in a field beside the track.

Rescue teams - including divers - are working at the scene.
Reports say the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed line is scheduled to open next year.

Transport Secretary Alain Vidalies and Ecology Minister Segolene Royal will visit the scene, French media reported.

[TonyK]

Later reports say "at least" 10 people have died, from 49 on board. This was a test run on a newly constructed line between Paris and Strasbourg.

[broadgage]

Very sad  

I hope that this is a "normal" railway accident and not related to yesterdays terrorist attacks in Paris.

The fact that some form of test or trial was underway, rather than a scheduled passenger service, does suggest an accident perhaps whilst travelling at a greater speed than would be permitted normally.

[stuving]

Looking at the aerial picture in this report, an explanation in terms of "too fast for the curve" looks all to plausible. Whether that means a test run intentionally at higher speed than will be permitted later is another matter; the investigation will tell us that.

The other factor is that the front of the train is reported to have struck the bridge parapet, explaining the violence of the impact and how far the carriages have been thrown sideways.

Correction: other reports say the train was going toward Strasbourg, making this a right-hand bend - so most of the train kept going straight on and has jumped across the canal.

Inevitably this was not a major news item - there's just too much news today.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Inevitably this was not a major news item - there's just too much news today.

Indeed: a very sad day in France today. 

As one of our members now says in his footer text: "Je suis un Parisien." 

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

French TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) high-speed train derails near Strasbourg


The locomotive plunged into a canal alongside the track after derailing

A high-speed TGV train has derailed near the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing at least 10 people, officials say.

The crash happened during a test run in the town of Eckwersheim, on a new Paris-Strasbourg line.

The train was carrying 49 people when it derailed, caught fire, and plunged into a canal. The injured were airlifted to hospital.

The derailment was due to "excessive speed", officials say.

Pictures showed the locomotive partly submerged. Wreckage was also scattered in a field beside the track.

Reports say the Paris-Strasbourg high-speed line is scheduled to open next year.

Junior transport minister Alain Vidalies and Ecology Minister Segolene Royal will visit the scene, French media reported.

[stuving]

Latest TV report says that in addition to 10 confirmed deaths, there are 12 seriously injured and 5 still missing when the underwater search was suspended for the night. There were 49 aboard, including the families of some railway staff - this run was seen as marking the end of the testing phase. However, it was described doing "elevated speed" tests, and 350 km/hr was quoted but I still find it hard to believe that's possible for this curve (and it came from S^gol^ne Royale, who has a record of mis-speaking).

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

France TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) crash: Children on board derailed train

Several children were on board when a high-speed train derailed during a test run in France, killing 11 people, the rail company SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) has said.

Five people are still missing and more than 30 were injured in the TGV crash near the eastern city of Strasbourg.

Investigators are trying to determine who the children are and why they were on board when access was meant to be restricted to technicians.

It is not clear whether children were among the dead.

"That's not a practice that the SNCF recognises," said company chief Guillaume Pepy. "A test train is a test train".

SNCF said it was possible that railway workers' children were on board when the train crashed, reportedly at around 350km/h (217mph).

Excessive speed has been blamed for the crash, the first fatal accident since TGV trains began operating in 1981.

The train ended up partially submerged in a canal under a bridge.


The train ended up in a canal


It is the first fatal crash involving a TGV in more than three decades


Officials say excessive speed was to blame


Investigators are trying to determine why children were on board

[TonyK]

I read a French report last night, which was more detailed. That suggested that the test crew had taken family members on what was the final test run. It did not say whether or not SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) had sanctioned this.