The Naka-Meguro train disaster occurred in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 on 8 March 2000. Five people were killed and 63 were injured when a derailed Eidan Hibiya Line train was sideswiped by a second train near Naka-Meguro Station

Naka-Meguro Station

is a railway station located in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan.Naka-Meguro is a convenient transfer point between the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, connecting Yokohama with the districts of Roppongi, Akihabara, Ginza, and Tsukiji in Tokyo, and beyond...

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Accident events

At around 9 a.m. on 8 March 2000, the rearmost car of an eight-car Eidan Hibiya Line

Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line

The is a metro line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro located in Tokyo, Japan. The line was named after the district of Hibiya, under which it passes.-Overview:The Hibiya Line runs between in Meguro and in Adachi...

 (now Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) train from Kita-Senju

Kita-Senju Station

is a railway station in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan.Kita-Senju is the second-busiest station on the Tobu Railway and Tokyo Metro networks...

 to Kikuna

Kikuna Station

is a commuter railway station on the East Japan Railway Company's Yokohama Line and on the Tokyu Corporation’s Tōkyū Tōyoko Line located in Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan...

 derailed on the tight curve immediately before Naka-Meguro Station

Naka-Meguro Station

is a railway station located in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan.Naka-Meguro is a convenient transfer point between the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, connecting Yokohama with the districts of Roppongi, Akihabara, Ginza, and Tsukiji in Tokyo, and beyond...

. The derailed car was then hit by the fifth and sixth cars of an eight-car Tobu Railway

Tobu Railway

is a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...

 train travelling in the opposite direction from Naka-Meguro to Takenotsuka

Takenotsuka Station

is a railway station in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tobu Railway-Lines:Takenotsuka Station is served by the Tōbu Isesaki Line, and is located 13.4 km from the line's Tokyo terminus at . It is the last stop in Tokyo before crossing the border with Saitama Prefecture.-Station layout:The station...

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Factors

It is generally the case that the distance between the tracks less the width of the carriages only allows about 600mm, so that if a train derails on the same side as the other track, it will almost certainly be foul of the other track, making a collision inevitable. Track circuits do not detect derailments, so it requires prompt action from the train crew to warn the opposing train.

See also

• List of rail accidents (2000–2009)
• Waterfall train disaster
  Waterfall train disaster
  The Waterfall rail accident was a train accident that occurred on 31 January 2003 near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia. The train derailed, killing seven people aboard, including the train driver.-Incident:...
  
  - derailment caused by overspeed.