European Railroad Discussion > At least 4 Dead in Italian Head-on collision

Two trains collided head-on on Italian railway Ferrotramviaria SpA just north of Bari on the East Coast of Italy. The site of the collision is between the towns of Ruvo di Puglia and Corato on single track. In the photograph accompanying the linked article the white and light blue EMU is an Alstom Coradia, while the yellow EMU is a Stadler Flirt, both are owned by Ferrotramviaria inspite of different color schemes.

http://www.thelocal.it/20160712/four-killed-in-puglia-train-crash

Update: varying reports now say 10 or 12 dead.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/16 05:06 by SOO6617.

"At least 20 dead and 50 injured in Puglia train crash"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/16 10:38 by joemvcnj.

Doesn't look like the equipment held up too well.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> Doesn't look like the equipment held up too well.

At the speed both trains were supposedly moving at the point of impact. I wouldn't expect it too.

PHall Wrote:
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> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Doesn't look like the equipment held up too
> well.
>
> At the speed both trains were supposedly moving at
> the point of impact. I wouldn't expect it too.

The very American equipment in the Panhandle TX head on collision didn't either.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > andersonb109 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Doesn't look like the equipment held up too
> > well.
> >
> > At the speed both trains were supposedly moving
> at
> > the point of impact. I wouldn't expect it too.
>
> The very American equipment in the Panhandle TX
> head on collision didn't either.
>
> TAW


The combined weight of those DMU's is probably under 400 tons.  The combined weight of those 2 freights was probably over 20 times that.  

I've seen many wrecks photo's of those Europeand DMU/EMU's and there always seems to be a mangled mess, like they don't hold up all that well.  Yet, I also see comments about the same wrecks, with like the recent German head on, that the equipment held up real good.  So, who knows.  Problem is that with these type of trains taking over so much of the passenger services in Europe, they are just going to be more likely to be the type of equipment involved in single track, head on or otherwise, wrecks.

Bunny218 Wrote:
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> I've seen many wrecks photo's of those Europeand
> DMU/EMU's and there always seems to be a mangled
> mess, like they don't hold up all that well. 
> Yet, I also see comments about the same wrecks,
> with like the recent German head on, that the
> equipment held up real good.  So, who knows. 
> Problem is that with these type of trains taking
> over so much of the passenger services in Europe,
> they are just going to be more likely to be the
> type of equipment involved in single track, head
> on or otherwise, wrecks.

The line involved is in the process of being doubletracked. The biggest problem is that the Train Safety System is a product of the mid-19th century, a type of manual block whereby the stationmaster uses the telephone to alert the next stationmaster down the line that the train has departed. I am not sure if they even have radio system that can reach the trains.

I've been looking at GE and there is no indication of any double trackat all between Corato and Andria.
The image is dated May 29, 2015.

DaveL