Müncheberg railway accident (1944)
The Müncheberg railway accident on January 18, 1944 was a railway accident in which 56 people died. The rear-end collision was caused by a wrong decision by the dispatcher .
Starting position
From the train station Müncheberg (Mark) was the passenger P 360 exit. After 100 meters the train stopped again because the engine driver of the steam locomotive wanted to refill water. That escaped the dispatcher.
The express train D 52 was traveling in the same direction and was approaching with a 40-minute delay.
the accident
The dispatcher gave the D 52 entry to Müncheberg station. The approval field on the station block apparently confirmed the decision. However, it still applied to the P 360 , which had not yet been deployed. A switch attendant recognized the situation and wanted to object to the entry. However, seconds later, the D 52 hit the still standing passenger train at full speed. The locomotive of the express train and five wagons of the passenger train that they encountered were destroyed.
consequences
56 people died, 159 people were also injured.