European Railroad Discussion > Serious derailment in Luzern, 7 hospitalized

EuroCity 158 from Milano to Basel derailed in the Luzern station throat taking down a cantenary bridge and shuting down the station. Seven people have been hospitalized, but no life-threatening injuries are reported. The Trenitalia ETR-610 Pendolino had just departed Luzern Hauptbahnhof on the final leg of it's journey when the accident happened, several cars derailed with the fifth car nearly falling on its' side, only being prevented by a cantenary support.

Photos http://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/nachrichten/bilder/news/cme176214,1209538

Good photo coverage.  Looks like perhaps third or fourth car back picked a switch.

The driver of the double articulated trolleybus picking up part of the load of people calling in could use the very appropriate reason for delay "Unexpected passenger load."

For as many thousands and thousands of trains that operate every day in Switzerland it's amazing that everything runs so smoothly. The chance of a derailment happening but nothing derailing is almost like the possibility of finding life in space and not finding it.

Jim

 

Nevertheless, oops!