Just heard about the derailment in Kt.Wallis. Surprised to see no reference at all on the SBB website yet!

more details here: http://www.20min.ch/news/kreuz_und_q...lueck-27699495

It just came in.

http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisezeit/n...triebslage.htm

Wow, scary. I wonder what could make a train jump off the tracks like that. Train geeks, any ideas?

Not a (train) geek, but the papers mentioned that the rolling material was fairly new - maybe the downpour of rain that loosened some parts of the tracks or recently done maintenance works could have been a factor... *Disclaimer - Speculation*

Knowing how busy that those trains are, it seems a miracle that only one person has been killed.

It is the Glacier Express ( BBC link )



More pics here.

I might qualify as a train geek wannabe, but that does not qualify me as an expert on this incident. For what it's worth, my (also *speculative*) guess is that because I can't find a photo showing any damage to track or roadbed, and because an eyewitness account says the three coaches involved were detached from the rest of the train before they derailed, it seems like a flaw/failure in the mechanics holding one or more coaches firmly in place and upright on the wheel trucks.

That's a narrow-gauge rail line, so the rolling stock sits on an even slimmer footprint than normal gauge trains. Going along even a gentle curve like the one at the site of the incident, those coaches — probably filled to capacity during the height of tourist season — "want to" lean/fall towards the outside of the curve. A weakness or failure in the mechanics that normally hold the coach firmly to the trucks (yet accommodate whatever movement is necessary) could let the coaches yield to the centrifugal force and fall over.

Such a weakness or flaw might even go undetected until one or more coaches full of tourists shift all their weight (perhaps suddenly) towards the outside of the curve to take pictures or admire the view.

We spend a great deal of time in this area and know it well, but any train crash is a disaster for those killed and injured and for the authorities who have to clear up the aftermath.

In the TV news of 19.30 they speculated about the rails having widened or narrowed due to the differences of temperature

while the chaps of the investigations-office in charge now apparently moved in during the afternoon and started their work

Euro News reported that there were about 200 passengers on board. As I said earlier this could have been so much worse.

Obviously, a derailment, rather than a collision with another train, lessened the level of casualties. There any many places along that route where trains could have rolled down embankments unchecked. The consequences there would have been unthinkable.

Sympathies to all those affected, and praise to all the rescue workers.

Unlikely given the frequent curves on this section, and the excellent quality of swiss permanent way. Human Error is possible but difficult given its the last couple of carriages on what is a relatively short train (less than 20 carriages) I can't see what the driver could have done wrong at such slow speed.

My money is on a technical defect in one of the rear carriages (sticking brake, failed axle/flange) I was on this train with my father a couple of months ago, and was a bit suprised to see they still used vacuum braking (as opposed to Westinghouse compressed air braking used on nearly all standard gauge rolling stock).

I'd be very surprised if that turned out to be true. Huge temperature differences within a few hours are 'business as usual' in alpine regions.

Well, your idea looks a lot more likely than the "Idée Suisse SRG" - idea of yesterday

Really looks like a rail break to me.

The Tages Anzeiger actually reports today that warping due to extreme temperature differences during the past few days as a current (but not final) official speculation.

I haven't been able to see a sign of an actual break in any of the photos, have you? Anybody?

A) SF-DRS and Tages Anzeiger clearly had the same source. Whether this just was a mediaman, an SBB man, an expert, or a "usually well informed local" is unclear of course

B) if I interpret the expression "rail break" as broken rails, then it can be excluded as no rails there are broken

C) as an update from the "Tagesschau" of SF-DRS, it can be concluded that the rails were no problem at all. The three damaged wagons will get transported to Brig where they will be examined by federal experts on Monday

I would think it was unlikely it was track breakage.
The weight would have been on the engine at the front and the carriages dragged. I would assume a fault with carriage.

Impressive in the "Tagesschau" was to hear (and see) that the reps of 5 Japanese TV companies were present up there in the Upper Wallis, among them a lady journalist who spoke English in the way of Mr Cameron, and impressed me by her objective and professional considerations.

That's if it did not break while the train was passing it. There was maintenance work performed on that section the night before, and RHB trains often have wheelflats.

You wouldn't be able to see it on the picture since it would be behind the derailed cars, also they're usually not that large. Rail breakages are known to be weather-related in some cases.




Of course this is only speculation. But I think it is unlikely for a train to derail because of only a technical defect on a coach.

Horrifying that this can happen in Switzerland...