European Tribune - Comments - Is it Safe to Take the Train?

Is it Safe to Take the Train? | 33 comments (33 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Is it Safe to Take the Train? (4.00 / 2)

Erm, to sum up what others said with some additions:

Train accidents, like plane accidents, are spectacular, and often affect a large number of people. Yet per the number of passengers or passenger-kilometres, trains are more safe than any other mode of transport (IIRC including walking).
There is indeed much more passenger transport over here than over there (though with freight, it's just the other way). (BTW, do you ride planes? Whether yes or no, are you bothered by news of plane accidents?)
What you posted is a Wiki list, not a statistical sample. Earlier years have fewer accidents because the record is incomplete. People can insert any minor accident that happens now, but won't bother to dig up the news records about every car crossing at red light or suicide jump.
Indeed the most common type of "train acident" is in truth a car accident, i.e. when a driver ignores a red light or even drives around the bars to cross the tracks. According to police statistics, in over 95% of cases the driver is at fault, yet in many places drivers will complain why the railroad 'doesn't do something'. But a result is that in most European countries, a significant part of money on railway infrastructure is spent on road under/overpasses.
Ah, that text-messaging girl. I hear of the most ridiculous train-car/pedestrian accidents from the USA. I don't really understand why -- yes there is car culture and all, but still there are a lot of freight trains around, and even if people don't know that trains are among the stiffest vehicles on Earth (I suspect even a collision between an oil tanker and a modern American Diesel locomotive would be 'won' by the latter: rail vehicles must have the strength to master the forces within miles long trains), one should have a basic sense of its mass, that it won't just stop next to you like a car. But I saw videos of idiots stopping right on the tracks in a traffic jam, or read of Houston drivers crossing in front of a tram...
I'm not aware of any rise in the number of accidents. There has been some country-specific waves. In Britain, in the wake of privatisation, everyone saved money on track maintenance -- the result was a wave of accidents (but IIRC with less a hundred deaths total), followed by a massive repair programme from tax money. But this was years ago. More recently, in Spain, Greece and Turkey, the results of governments pushing for modernisation on the cheap (e.g., slimming down projects by leaving away safety-relevant parts and redundancies, often nationally waiving existing international standards) had some unfortunate results. In ex-Yugoslavia, railways are still reeling from the devastation and neglect during the wars, today especially in Serbia.
Why do you say high-speed? There is no high-speed accident on the quoted list. High-speed trains are even more safe than other types of trains.
I note that trains, being fixed-track vehicles, can be fitted with rather well-tuned and extensive safety systems. On better networks, nowadays most real train accidents (e.g. ones not involving cars) happen under two circumstances: (a) the safety system is temporarily deactivated due some works, and dispatchers aren't used to the fallback system (I suspect this must be behind that Spanish metro accident, didn't yet read the details), (b) shunting or multiple trains at stations trick the system.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue Oct 17th, 2006 at 03:34:37 PM EST

Re: Is it Safe to Take the Train? (none / 0)

Hansvon brought the statistic on how much of the train deaths are actually riders of those trains.

I add that sometimes suicide can be a big factor. In the seventies-eighties, when Hungary led the world with suicide rate, jumping in front of trains was a favored method (juming in front of the subway is still one, happening multiple times a year). As a result every Hungarian train driver had this trauma at least once.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue Oct 17th, 2006 at 05:42:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Is it Safe to Take the Train? | 33 comments (33 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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