Voghera train crash
Encyclopedia
The Voghera train crash is considered one of the most serious incidents in the history of the Italian railways
. It happened at track three of Voghera railway station
, on the night of 31 May 1962. Sixty-four people lost their lives, and 40 were seriously injured.
, hauled by an E626 class
electric locomotive
, entered Voghera station at high speed, against protection signals set to 'danger'. It then collided with the rear of passenger train no. 1391, which was stationary on Track 3, and about to depart for Genoa
.
The locomotive of train 8151 became wedged in the last carriage of train 1391, killing 60 people instantly and injuring over 40, four of whom later died in hospital. All of the victims were in the last carriage. They were mostly holidaymakers bound for the Ligurian Riviera.
date from the locomotive at the head of train 8151 revealed that the train appeared to have been travelling at between 70 km/h (43 mph) and 75 km/h (47 mph) all the way from Milan Rogoredo, except for a brief slowdown near Pavia
. The train's speed had not diminished even upon arrival at Voghera, except during the nine seconds immediately before the collision, when it had fallen sharply from 72 km/h (45 mph) to about 60 km/h (37 mph).
This speed was not in any way acceptable, regardless of the danger setting displayed by the signal, given that the train was to have stopped at the station for a change of traction. At that time, the Milan–Voghera was energised with DC electric currentt, and the Voghera–Genoa section with AC current, imposing a requirement for a change of locomotive at Voghera.
The train braking on train 8151 had been activated only about 170 m (558 ft) from the rear of the train 1391. Given the characteristics of the brake, and its the time of entry into operation, it can be assumed that it was activated in response to stop signals given by hand by station staff, as in fact was admitted by the driver.
History of Railways in Italy
The railways in Italy are one of the most important infrastructure in the country, with c. of track.-Origins:Railways were introduced in Italy when it was still a divided country....
. It happened at track three of Voghera railway station
Voghera railway station
Voghera railway station serves the town and comune of Voghera, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Opened in 1858, it forms part of the Alessandria–Piacenza railway, and is also the terminus of a railway from Milan via Pavia....
, on the night of 31 May 1962. Sixty-four people lost their lives, and 40 were seriously injured.
History
At 2.35 on 31 May 1962, goods train no. 8151, from MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, hauled by an E626 class
FS Class E626
The FS E.625 and E.626 are two classes of Italian electric locomotives produced for the Ferrovie dello Stato. They were introduced in the course of the 1920s and remained in service until the 1990s...
electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
, entered Voghera station at high speed, against protection signals set to 'danger'. It then collided with the rear of passenger train no. 1391, which was stationary on Track 3, and about to depart for Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
The locomotive of train 8151 became wedged in the last carriage of train 1391, killing 60 people instantly and injuring over 40, four of whom later died in hospital. All of the victims were in the last carriage. They were mostly holidaymakers bound for the Ligurian Riviera.
Investigations
Examination of the wheel speed sensorWheel speed sensor
A wheel speed sensor or vehicle speed sensor is a type of tachometer. It is a sender device used for reading the speed of a vehicle's wheel rotation...
date from the locomotive at the head of train 8151 revealed that the train appeared to have been travelling at between 70 km/h (43 mph) and 75 km/h (47 mph) all the way from Milan Rogoredo, except for a brief slowdown near Pavia
Pavia railway station
Pavia railway station serves the city and comune of Pavia, in the region of Lombardy, northern Italy. Opened in 1862, it forms part of the Milan–Pavia–Voghera railway, and is also a terminus of four secondary railways, linking Pavia with Alessandria, Cremona, Vercelli and Stradella.The station is...
. The train's speed had not diminished even upon arrival at Voghera, except during the nine seconds immediately before the collision, when it had fallen sharply from 72 km/h (45 mph) to about 60 km/h (37 mph).
This speed was not in any way acceptable, regardless of the danger setting displayed by the signal, given that the train was to have stopped at the station for a change of traction. At that time, the Milan–Voghera was energised with DC electric currentt, and the Voghera–Genoa section with AC current, imposing a requirement for a change of locomotive at Voghera.
The train braking on train 8151 had been activated only about 170 m (558 ft) from the rear of the train 1391. Given the characteristics of the brake, and its the time of entry into operation, it can be assumed that it was activated in response to stop signals given by hand by station staff, as in fact was admitted by the driver.