Pécrot rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Pécrot rail crash was a rail accident in the village of Pécrot (adjoining the village of Sint-Agatha-Rode
), Belgium
, that occurred on 27 March 2001 when two passenger trains collided head-on. The rail crash was Belgium's worst train disaster in a quarter century.
, and rail staff were only required to speak one. NMBS/SNCB
, the Belgian national railway company, admitted that the accident was caused solely by human error. Judge Philippe Ridelle presided the trial and pronounced the sentence.
Sint-Agatha-Rode
Sint-Agatha-Rode is a Dutch-speaking village in Belgian province of Flemish Brabant and lies within the district of the town of Huldenberg. Historically Sint-Agatha-Rode was an independent municipality until the merger of Belgian municipalities in 1977 when it was joined to the town of...
), Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, that occurred on 27 March 2001 when two passenger trains collided head-on. The rail crash was Belgium's worst train disaster in a quarter century.
Timeline of events
- 08:41 — In WavreWavreWavre is a town and municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant, of which it is the capital.Wavre is located in the Dyle valley. Most of its inhabitants speak French as mother tongue and are called "Wavriens" and "Wavriennes"...
station, a signalmanSignalman (rail)A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.- History :...
noticed an empty passenger train departing from Track No. 4 against a red signal, towards LeuvenLeuvenLeuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
. - 08:42 — The Wavre signalman contacted the Leuven signalman, to inform him about the train. However, the Wavre signalman spoke only FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
while the Leuven signalman spoke only DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, so the latter did not understand the message fully. - 08:43 — The Wavre signalman tried to have the overhead wire current cut off on the erroneously departed train's track. Whenever the power on the overhead wire is cut, the train driverRailroad engineerA railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
is required by operational rules to reduce speed to a low speed and continue cautiously as long as the train is running. However, that could not be done from Wavre. The signalman therefore contacted a controllerTrain dispatcherA train dispatcher is employed by a railroad to direct and facilitate the movement of trains over an assigned territory, which is usually part, or all, of a railroad operating division. In Canada the train dispatcher is known as the rail traffic controller...
in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
about the problem. - 08:46 — The Brussels controller tried to contact the driver of the train, but was unable to reach him. The Brussels controller also tried to contact the driver of a passenger train that had just departed from Leuven towards Wavre, traveling on the same track as the other train, in the opposite direction. Again, the controller failed to reach the driver.
- 08:47 — The overhead wire current was cut off, to require all drivers to reduce their speed to a low speed as by operational rules, but unfortunately too late.
- 08:50 — The two trains collided head-on in the village of Pécrot. 8 people were killed, including both drivers, and 12 were injured.
Causes
The accident had two main causes. The first was the inexperience of the driver of the train which departed from Wavre. The train had stopped with the driver's cab past the signal, so the driver could not see that the signal was red when he departed. The other cause was the language barrier between the station staff at Wavre and Leuven. Both French and Dutch are official languages in BelgiumLanguages of Belgium
The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well.-Dutch:...
, and rail staff were only required to speak one. NMBS/SNCB
NMBS/SNCB
The National Railway Company of Belgium, known as the or the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges is the Belgian national railway operator.It is usually referred to in English as "Belgian Railways" or the SNCB....
, the Belgian national railway company, admitted that the accident was caused solely by human error. Judge Philippe Ridelle presided the trial and pronounced the sentence.
See also
- List of railway stations in Belgium
- List of rail accidents (2000–2009)
- SeaspeakSeaspeakSeaspeak is a simplified form of English, designed to facilitate communication between ships whose captains' native tongues differ. It has now been formalised as Standard Marine Communication Phrases ....
- a simplified common language - TunnelspeakTunnelspeakPoliceSpeak is a constructed language for police and emergency service cooperation at the Channel Tunnel, using a limited vocabulary of French and English for ease of communication between workers with different native languages.-See also:* Seaspeak...
- a simplified common language for the Channel railway Tunnel - British absolute block signallingBritish absolute block signallingThe principle of the British absolute block system of railway signalling is to ensure the safe operation of a railway by allowing only one train to occupy a defined section of track at a time...
- a common language for signallers