Railway accident on the Fiumarella Viaduct
In the railway accident on the Fiumarella Viaduct on December 23, 1961, north of Catanzaro in Calabria, a railway vehicle derailed on a bridge and fell into the depths. 71 dead and 28 injured were the result. This was one of the worst accidents in the history of the railway in Italy .
Starting position
The accident occurred on the 40 meter high bridge over the Fiumarella on the narrow-gauge railway line Cosenza-Catanzaro of the Ferrovie Calabro Lucane (today: Ferrovie della Calabria ).
The train in question came from Soveria Mannelli early in the morning and was on its way to Catanzaro. It was a diesel railcar from Breda with the road number M2.123 and a trailer from the same company with the number RA 1006. The two vehicles were connected with a central buffer coupling similar to that used on trams .
the accident
When the train crossed the Fiumarella Viaduct, about two kilometers north of the Catanzaro Città station , the sidecar derailed, the coupling tore and the vehicle fell 40 meters. There were 99 travelers in the vehicle, many of them students. 71 travelers were killed, the remaining 28 injured, some seriously.
consequences
After heated discussions and exactly two years after the accident, the Italian legislature withdrew the operating rights of the operator of the railway and appointed Ferrovie Calabro Lucane as state commissioner (" Gestione commissariale governativa di aziende di trasporto ") .
The traffic on the route between Catanzaro and Soveria Mannelli was interrupted for several years and was operated as a replacement rail service.
In Decollatura , a place on the railway line from which many of the casualties came, a memorial was erected for the victims of the accident.
Individual evidence
- ^ Railway Atlas Italy and Slovenia - Atlante ferroviario d'Italia e Slovenia . Schweers + Wall 2010. ISBN = 978-3-89494-129-1, p. 96.
- ↑ Legge 1855 del 23 December 1963 (Law 1855 of 23 December 1963).
Coordinates: 38 ° 55 ′ 47.8 " N , 16 ° 34 ′ 26.3" E