A train accident or train wreck is a type of disaster involving one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track, when the wheels of train come off the track or when a boiler explosion occurs. Train accidents have often been widely covered in popular media and in folklore.
A head-on collision between two trains is colloquially called a "cornfield meet" in the United States.
Causes
Train accidents can occur due to a range of factors, including one or more of the following:
- Human error – One of the leading causes of train accidents is human error. This can involve train operators failing to adhere to safety protocols, distraction, fatigue, impaired judgment, or inadequate training.
- Mechanical failures – Equipment malfunctions or failures, such as faulty brakes, defective signaling systems, or problems with locomotives or railcars, can contribute to train accidents.
- Track and infrastructure issues – Poorly maintained tracks, inadequate inspection procedures, or infrastructure deficiencies like weakened bridges or faulty switches can lead to accidents.
- Weather conditions – Severe weather conditions, including heavy rain, snowstorms, or extreme heat, can impact track conditions, visibility, and the overall safety of train operations.
- Sabotage - People can break, place something, intentionally set the switch to a collision course, destroy tracks, and this is called rail sabotage.
- Attack - Anyone such as terrorists or shooters disrupted rail traffic such as bombing or shooting on a train.
Train wreck gallery
See also
- Rail sabotage
References
Further reading
- Aldrich, Mark. Death Rode the Rails: American Railroad Accidents and Safety, 1828–1965 (2006) excerpt
- Earnshaw, Alan (January 2008). "Trains in trouble - the early years". Hornby Magazine. No. 7. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 114–117. ISSN 1753-2469. OCLC 226087101.
- Vaughan, Adrian. Obstruction Danger: Significant British Railway Accidents, 1890–1986 (Motorbooks International, 1989). online
External links
- BBC News: World's worst rail disasters
- A signalman (1874). A voice from the signal-box: or, railway accidents and their causes . London: Longmans, Green, & Co.
