Barcelona railway accident

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In the Barcelona railway accident on the morning of February 11, 1939, three trains collided. At least 32 people died.

Starting position

Two trains - at least one of which was a three-part electric multiple unit - were on the then single-track , electrified line Barcelona - Castellar del Vallès of the Catalan Railway , one from Terrassa to Barcelona, ​​the other in the opposite direction. Today this entire section of the route is underground and part of the Barcelona Metro .

the accident

There are varying representations of the course of the accident. In the train station of Sarrià , a district of Barcelona, ​​the electric multiple unit hit a passenger train standing there . The front car of the electric multiple unit was completely destroyed. According to another representation, two trains, one of which had just left the “Les Planes” station, collided at a railway tunnel near Sarrià. The second train started moving backwards as a result of the impact and rolled down the slope to Sant Gervasi de Cassoles , where it collided with a third train coming uphill from Barcelona.

Officially it was reported that a brake failure triggered the accident , but there is also talk of sabotage . The Spanish Civil War was in its final phase and the reports that were circulated were accordingly driven by interests.

consequences

At least 32 people died, according to other sources it was 53. Over 160 were also injured.

literature

  • NN: Accidente ferroviario . In: La Vanguardia v. February 12, 1939, p. 7.
  • NN: Catástrofe ferrovia en la línea de Barcelona . In: La Libertad v. February 12, 1939, p. 2.
  • NN: 30 Killed in Train Wreck . In: San Jose News v. February 11, 1939, p. 1.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ NN: Accidente ferroviario .
  2. ^ NN: Accidente ferroviario ; NN: Catástrofe ferrovia .
  3. ↑ NN: 30 Killed ; NN: Accidente ferroviario .
  4. ^ NN: Catástrofe ferrovia .
  5. ^ NN: Catástrofe ferrovia reports 36 deaths.
  6. ^ Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 98, with reference to the Railway Gazette 70 (1939), p. 284.