Harmelen railway accident
The Harmelen railway accident on January 8, 1962 was a head-on collision between two trains and the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands . 93 people died.
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Starting position
In Harmelen , a line to Amsterdam branches off from the Utrecht – Rotterdam line . This was done at the same level, so that the track in the opposite direction had to be crossed over switches .
There was fog that morning . Shortly before 9:20 a.m., an electric multiple unit made up of two trains , which was traveling from Rotterdam to Amsterdam at around 75 km / h, reached the junction. Against trains approaching from the direction of Utrecht, it was covered by a "stop" signal .
the accident
At the same time, an express train pulled by an electric locomotive approached the junction at around 100 km / h. The engine driver's engine driver overlooked the distant signal showing “Wait stop” - probably because of the fog , and only noticed the main signal showing “Stop” . The emergency braking , which was initiated immediately, was able to reduce the speed somewhat, but no longer prevent the head-on collision. There were around 500 passengers on both trains together .
consequences
In the head-on collision, six vehicles of the railcar and three passenger cars of the express train were smashed. 93 people died, including both train drivers , and 54 were also injured.
After the accident was at the Nederlandse Spoorwegen accelerated an automatic train control system , which AUTOMATISCHE TREINBEÏNVLOEDING (ATB), installed, in such situations automatically emergency brake is triggered. The junction was later rebuilt free of intersections with a flyover of the previously crossing route .
On January 8, 2012 - 50 years after the accident - Pieter van Vollenhoven , the husband of Princess Margriet of Orange-Nassau , inaugurated a memorial to the victims in Harmelen . Between the two black steles bearing the names of the 93 victims, the view of the accident site opens up over a torso that represents the victims.
literature
- Menno Joost van Duin: Van rampen leren: een vergelijkend onderzoek naar de lessen uit spoorwegongevallen, hotelbranden en industriële ongelukken . The Hague 1992, ISBN 90-71504-15-8 .
Web links
- Danger Ahead! -Site with photographs of the accident site.
Coordinates: 52 ° 6 ′ 18.8 ″ N , 4 ° 57 ′ 19.7 ″ E