Gare de Lyon train accident
Encyclopedia
The Gare de Lyon rail accident happened on 27 June 1988 when a commuter train inbound to the station Paris-Gare de Lyon
crashed into a stationary train killing 56 people.
until the train got to Vert de Maisons station when a passenger fearful of missing the station pulled the emergency brake
, forcing the train to stop. After about 20 minutes delay, the train continued with its journey, and the driver, Daniel Saulin, was instructed to proceed non-stop to Paris-Gare de Lyon
. Before the station, there was a yellow signal instructing the driver to slow, and it was then that he noticed that the brakes were not working.
Saulin then radioed a warning but failed to identify himself. When the train reached the downward slope into Gare de Lyon, the train's speed increased. The guard on the runaway train had evacuated the passengers to the rear of the train, but there was insufficient time to evacuate the stationary train. The death toll would most likely have been much greater had it not been for the heroic sacrifice of the driver of the stationary train, André Tanguy, who stayed in the driver's cabin facing the oncoming train ordering the passengers to vacate the train. He remained on his post until he was killed in the collision.
, but it was discovered that the passenger was impatient, which was not deemed suspicious. The reason the passenger pulled the emergency brake was that the passenger wanted to get her children. However, the summer time table meant the train did not stop at the place where she normally got off the train to go get her children, so she hit the brakes to stop there.
After extensive interviews, it was discovered that the driver, who was trying to reset the brake cord, accidentally shut the brake valve, but there was confusion as to how the driver started the train again. The design of the train was that if the brake valve was shut, all the brakes would remain on stopping the train from going with little braking power. Procedure was that the driver should have asked engineers to inspect the problem, and who might have seen the closed valve, but trying to stay on schedule the driver disabled the brakes by releasing air from the system, believing there was an 'air lock
', but although the brakes were free there was only 1/8 of the braking needed in the system.
Even with most of the brakes disabled, there were still opportunities to stop or slow the train. First, there was one more station, Maison Alfort, before Gare de Lyon, which would have given the driver plenty of time to stop the train, but before reaching the station the driver was instructed to pass through and proceed directly to Gare de Lyon to make up lost time. Second, the train was equipped with an additional electric brake, but many drivers disliked the electric brake because it was unreliable. In any case, as a result of his panic the driver forgot about it.
Driver Saulin messaged a warning and activated an emergency alarm to signal that his train was in trouble, but he forgot to identify himself and his position. The emergency alarm forced all trains on the network to stop and wait for instructions, and several other drivers communicated with the controller for an explanation for the stoppage. The station staff tried to divert the train to an empty track, but being unable to identify which train was in distress because Saulin failed to identify himself, and since he had left his cab, he could not have responded to the controller's communication to find out which train was in distress. Then the controllers tried to message all four inbound trains to eliminate the three problem-free ones, but because Saulin had hit the alarm button, a stream of calls from many trains inquiring about the stoppage clogged communication links between the controllers and other trains, and the fact that the many messages kept the controllers busy, the controllers were never able to identify the problem train.
The signallers had pre-programmed the tracks so that the runaway train would go into Platform 1 which was empty instead of Platform 2 where the delayed train was. Crashing into an empty platform might have wrecked the train, but with the passengers evacuated into the last carriages, casualties would have been limited. But when the driver of the runaway train activated the alarm, the signallers had to turn all signals to red. This disabled the pre-programming of tracks and allowed the runaway train to go into Platform 2 instead of Platform 1.
sentence. The guard aboard the train, who assisted the driver in disabling the brakes on the train, was also sentenced to prison on the same charge. Legal proceedings were begun against the Gare de Lyon supervisor, who failed to evacuate the station, and the passenger who activated the emergency brake
, but were unsuccessful.
documentary series Seconds From Disaster
in the program Paris Train Crash (also known as Runaway Train).
Paris-Gare de Lyon
Paris Lyon is one of the six large railway termini in Paris, France. It is the northern terminus of the Paris–Marseille railway. It is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, most en route to the south of France. In general the station's SNCF services run...
crashed into a stationary train killing 56 people.
The disaster
It was a routine trip from MelunMelun
Melun is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, Melun is the capital of the department, as the seat of an arrondissement...
until the train got to Vert de Maisons station when a passenger fearful of missing the station pulled the emergency brake
Emergency brake (train)
On trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:* The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest postion, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab*...
, forcing the train to stop. After about 20 minutes delay, the train continued with its journey, and the driver, Daniel Saulin, was instructed to proceed non-stop to Paris-Gare de Lyon
Paris-Gare de Lyon
Paris Lyon is one of the six large railway termini in Paris, France. It is the northern terminus of the Paris–Marseille railway. It is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, most en route to the south of France. In general the station's SNCF services run...
. Before the station, there was a yellow signal instructing the driver to slow, and it was then that he noticed that the brakes were not working.
Saulin then radioed a warning but failed to identify himself. When the train reached the downward slope into Gare de Lyon, the train's speed increased. The guard on the runaway train had evacuated the passengers to the rear of the train, but there was insufficient time to evacuate the stationary train. The death toll would most likely have been much greater had it not been for the heroic sacrifice of the driver of the stationary train, André Tanguy, who stayed in the driver's cabin facing the oncoming train ordering the passengers to vacate the train. He remained on his post until he was killed in the collision.
The inquiry
It was feared initially that the collision was a terrorist atrocity because, in the past, many French trains had been bombed in and near Paris. The theory was given some credence by the discovery that the brake valve was closed. This component allows air to go into the engines to power the brakes, and when it was closed the brakes were disabled on all cars behind the valve. However, it was believed that the valve could be closed only by somebody who had much knowledge of the brake system. During the days after the accident there were questions as to why someone pulled the emergency brakeEmergency brake (train)
On trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:* The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest postion, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab*...
, but it was discovered that the passenger was impatient, which was not deemed suspicious. The reason the passenger pulled the emergency brake was that the passenger wanted to get her children. However, the summer time table meant the train did not stop at the place where she normally got off the train to go get her children, so she hit the brakes to stop there.
After extensive interviews, it was discovered that the driver, who was trying to reset the brake cord, accidentally shut the brake valve, but there was confusion as to how the driver started the train again. The design of the train was that if the brake valve was shut, all the brakes would remain on stopping the train from going with little braking power. Procedure was that the driver should have asked engineers to inspect the problem, and who might have seen the closed valve, but trying to stay on schedule the driver disabled the brakes by releasing air from the system, believing there was an 'air lock
Air lock
An air lock is gas trapped in a high point of a liquid-filled pipe system. The gas, being lighter than the liquid, rises to the highest point and restricts the flow of liquid...
', but although the brakes were free there was only 1/8 of the braking needed in the system.
Even with most of the brakes disabled, there were still opportunities to stop or slow the train. First, there was one more station, Maison Alfort, before Gare de Lyon, which would have given the driver plenty of time to stop the train, but before reaching the station the driver was instructed to pass through and proceed directly to Gare de Lyon to make up lost time. Second, the train was equipped with an additional electric brake, but many drivers disliked the electric brake because it was unreliable. In any case, as a result of his panic the driver forgot about it.
Driver Saulin messaged a warning and activated an emergency alarm to signal that his train was in trouble, but he forgot to identify himself and his position. The emergency alarm forced all trains on the network to stop and wait for instructions, and several other drivers communicated with the controller for an explanation for the stoppage. The station staff tried to divert the train to an empty track, but being unable to identify which train was in distress because Saulin failed to identify himself, and since he had left his cab, he could not have responded to the controller's communication to find out which train was in distress. Then the controllers tried to message all four inbound trains to eliminate the three problem-free ones, but because Saulin had hit the alarm button, a stream of calls from many trains inquiring about the stoppage clogged communication links between the controllers and other trains, and the fact that the many messages kept the controllers busy, the controllers were never able to identify the problem train.
The signallers had pre-programmed the tracks so that the runaway train would go into Platform 1 which was empty instead of Platform 2 where the delayed train was. Crashing into an empty platform might have wrecked the train, but with the passengers evacuated into the last carriages, casualties would have been limited. But when the driver of the runaway train activated the alarm, the signallers had to turn all signals to red. This disabled the pre-programming of tracks and allowed the runaway train to go into Platform 2 instead of Platform 1.
Consequences
The driver, Daniel Saulin, was released after serving six months of a four year manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
sentence. The guard aboard the train, who assisted the driver in disabling the brakes on the train, was also sentenced to prison on the same charge. Legal proceedings were begun against the Gare de Lyon supervisor, who failed to evacuate the station, and the passenger who activated the emergency brake
Emergency brake (train)
On trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:* The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest postion, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab*...
, but were unsuccessful.
Media
The accident was featured on season 2 of the National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
documentary series Seconds From Disaster
Seconds From Disaster
-By original broadcast date:National Geographic Channel has broadcast many episodes under multiple titles. The title currently or most recently listed on the NGC Calendar is shown first...
in the program Paris Train Crash (also known as Runaway Train).