Lauffen bus crash
Encyclopedia
The Lauffen bus crash of 20 June 1959 resulted in the deaths of 45 people. At the time it was the worst accident involving a bus since the end of the Second World War.
A bus chartered by German Railways on a regular service collided with an express train on the Tübingen
to Würzburg
(via Stuttgart
) route at level crossing number 47 at Lauffen am Neckar. In all, 45 persons were killed and 27 others were seriously injured.
The bus was operating a rail replacement service for the Zabergäu Railway
along the stretch from Leonbronn
to Lauffen. A timetable reduction had been introduced along this narrow gauge line in 1954. According to the accounts of former railway workers, the bus was running late, but the passengers were anxious to catch the connection from Lauffen to Würzburg. The level crossing keeper re-opened the barrier to allow the bus to cross but failed to first check with the train controller.
The accident increased public pressure on the state of Baden-Württemberg
and German railways to make the service along the Zabergäu Railway more attractive to passengers, and was one of the decisive factors in bringing about a re-gauging of this route from narrow to conventional gauge between 1964 and 1965.
Horst Siebecke’s Schallplatte des Jahres 1959 (LP of 1959) recalls the accident as being one of the most important events of the year. A memorial was later erected at the place where the accident occurred and a commemorative ceremony was held there on the 50th anniversary.
A bus chartered by German Railways on a regular service collided with an express train on the Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
to Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
(via Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
) route at level crossing number 47 at Lauffen am Neckar. In all, 45 persons were killed and 27 others were seriously injured.
The bus was operating a rail replacement service for the Zabergäu Railway
Zabergäu Railway
The Zabergäu Railway was a spur line from the Franconia Railway. It ran for 20.3 km from Lauffen am Neckar to Leonbronn through an area known as the Zabergäu...
along the stretch from Leonbronn
Leonbronn
Leonbronn is a village in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. From 1971 to 1974, Leonbronn together with Ochsenburg formed the local authority of Burgbronn. The various districts of the latter were incorporated into Zaberfeld on 1 January 1975.The above is a translation based...
to Lauffen. A timetable reduction had been introduced along this narrow gauge line in 1954. According to the accounts of former railway workers, the bus was running late, but the passengers were anxious to catch the connection from Lauffen to Würzburg. The level crossing keeper re-opened the barrier to allow the bus to cross but failed to first check with the train controller.
The accident increased public pressure on the state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
and German railways to make the service along the Zabergäu Railway more attractive to passengers, and was one of the decisive factors in bringing about a re-gauging of this route from narrow to conventional gauge between 1964 and 1965.
Horst Siebecke’s Schallplatte des Jahres 1959 (LP of 1959) recalls the accident as being one of the most important events of the year. A memorial was later erected at the place where the accident occurred and a commemorative ceremony was held there on the 50th anniversary.