Train derailments and explosions and chemical spills

[angelburst29]

Re: Train Derailments and Explosions 2013

May 04, 2014 - Sunday - New Dephi, India Passenger train derailment
_http://news.yahoo.com/passenger-train-derails-india-least-19-dead-123536154.html

NEW DELHI (AP) — A passenger train derailed in western India on Sunday, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 100, police said. The engine and four of the 20 coaches jumped the tracks near Roha station, 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Mumbai, said police officer Ankush Shinde. The rescuers used gas cutters to open the derailed coaches to reach those trapped inside. Big cranes were deployed to remove these coaches from the rail track, Shinde said. Two of the derailed coaches tilted on one side and one overturned, said railway spokesman Anil Kumar Saxena. The rescue operation was continuing and the death toll was expected to rise, Shinde said.
Saxena said that 123 injured passengers, some of them in serious condition, were taken to a hospital. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known. Rail authorities ordered an investigation into the accident, Saxena said. Train movement in the area was suspended as the derailed coaches and the rescue operation blocked an adjacent track as well. Railway accidents are common in India, which has one of the world's largest train networks and serves 20 million passengers a day. Most accidents are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.


May 04, 2014 - Sunday - Raigad in Maharashtra, Mumbai Passenger train derailment
_http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mumbai-train-accident-derailment-diwa-sawantwadi-express-roha/1/358961.html

At least 19 passengers were killed and more than 100 injured when the engine and four coaches of a passenger train derailed in Raigad in Maharashtra on Sunday, Home Minister R.R. Patil said. "Eighteen lives have been lost in the tragedy," Patil told IANS after visiting the accident site. He said the derailment may have occurred due to technical problems. "We are giving all possible help to the victims' families and providing medical attention to the injured." The accident occurred just outside a tunnel near Nidi village, when the engine and four out of 20 bogies of Diwa-Sawantwadi passenger train derailed at around 10 am between Nagothane and Roha railway stations, about 120 kms from Mumbai. Rescue operations were going on, police said, adding that workers were trying to extricate people trapped under bogies that overturned after derailment. The injured were rushed to hospitals in Nagothane and Roha in Raigad district.
Following the mishap, services on Konkan Railway route were suspended. Last month too, a goods train derailed on the route, affecting services. The injured passengers are being rushed to Roha for medical treatment, police said.


April 28, 2014 - Monday - New Delhi, India Passenger train derailment
_http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/howrah-dehradun-express-train-derails-in-up-many-injured/1/358010.html

Six people were injured when eight bogies of the Howrah-Dehradun Express derailed near Jafarganj railway station in Ambedkar Nagar district on Monday, a GRP official said. The incident took place on Monday afternoon when the coaches of the Doon Express got detached from the main train and derailed near Jafarganj railway station, Station Officer (GRP) Ambedkar Nagar C B Jaisal said. Nearly half a dozen people on board the Doon express were injured in the incident, he said. One or two of them have received severe injuries, he added. Jaisal said that train traffic on the Uttar Pradesh line was disrupted after the accident and repair work was being done.


April 23, 2014 - Wednesday - Kinshasa, Congo Passenger train derailment
_http://helenair.com/news/world/africa/train-derails-in-congo-dozens-dead/article_530c7323-e51c-5cb0-9334-6e1dc5a4d709.html

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Officials in Congo say a freight train has derailed in the country's southeast, killing at least 30 people.
Government spokesman Lambert Mende said Wednesday that the death toll could be much higher. It is common in Congo for people to jump onto freight trains for a free ride. A union official, Fernandez Tshibondo, said the train jumped the tracks Tuesday near the station at Katongola, a town in Congo's Katanga province. The cause was not immediately clear, and Mende said an investigation has been opened.


April 19, 2014 - Saturday - Kyzylkoga district, Atyrau region, Russia Passenger train derailment
_http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_19/Train-derails-in-Kazakhstan-seven-cars-turn-over-7909/

A passenger train derailed in a desert in Kazakhstan on Saturday. There were 495 passengers and crewmembers on the train in which seven cars turned over and the other five ran off the tracks, an Interfax correspondent reported. The train, which was en route from Almaty to Atyrau, broke up into two sections with the distance between them being 70 to 80 meters. Six people who were injured were taken by car to the town of Makat. Three helicopters were sent over to evacuate passengers, and deputy regional governor Salimzhan Nakpayev and detectives arrived at the site. There were five crews of firefighters, five ambulance teams and several police cars near the train. Restoration work started. The accident occurred on the territory of Kyzylkoga district, Atyrau region.


April 16, 2014 - Wednesday - Gauhati, India Passenger train derailment
_http://news.yahoo.com/train-derails-northeast-india-injuring-dozens-081706595.html

GAUHATI, India (AP) — A passenger train derailed in northeastern India early Wednesday, injuring dozens of passengers. The engine and nine of the train's 13 coaches jumped the track near the Jagiroad station, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) east of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state, state-owned Indian Railways said in a statement. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known. Six of the injured passengers were hospitalized, while 36 others suffered minor injuries and were allowed to go home after receiving medical attention, the statement said, adding that 170 passengers escaped unharmed. Following the derailment, several trains in the region were canceled, with about 100 meters (330 feet) of track damaged, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.


April 16, 2014 - Wednesday - Assam, India Passenger train derailment
_http://ibnlive.in.com/news/train-gets-derailed-in-assam-over-50-injured/465386-3-251.html

Guwahati: Over 50 passengers were injured, 19 of them seriously, when the engine and 10 coaches of the Dimapur-Kamakhya BG Express derailed at Teghiria in central Assam in the wee hours today. The derailment damaged 100 mts of railway line leading to cancellation of eight trains on the route. The Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express has also been detained at Lumbing, railway officials said. They said the engine and 10 coaches of the train derailed near Jagiroad in Morigaon district at around 2 am. Nineteen passengers were seriously injured and have been admitted to various hospitals including Gauhati Medical College Hospital, police said.Many passengers were discharged after receiving first aid in Morigaon Civil Hospital. The cause of the derailment is being investigated, railway officials said. Senior railway officials have rushed to the site and rescue operations are on.


April 12, 2014 - Saturday - Northern China Passenger train derailment
_http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/15-hospitalized-after-train-derails-in-northeast-china-1.1773677

BEIJING -- A total of 15 people were hospitalized after a train derailed in northeast China early Sunday, officials said. The railway bureau in Heilongjiang province's regional capital of Harbin said on its official microblog that the cause of the pre-dawn accident was under investigation. It said bureau officials responded to the accident, accompanied by police and fire and rescue services.
China has one of the world's most extensive networks of railways, but accidents are extremely rare. The Harbin railway bureau said the train was an older model, rather than one of the high-speed trains that have been brought into service in recent years. China's most serious recent railway disaster involved a pair of high-speed trains that collided near the eastern city of Wenzhou in 2011, killing 40 people.


April 07, 2014 - Monday - Mirshari, India Passenger train derailment
_http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/04/07/one-dies-as-train-derails-at-mirsharai

Three compartments of the Dhaka-bound Karnaphuli Express went off the rails in Chittagong's Mirsharai on Monday. Railway control room said the accident took place between Mirsharai and Mastan Nagar railway stations around 12:30pm on Monday. Police are saying at least one person has died in the accident. Sitakunda Circle Additional Superintendent of Police Salahuddin Shikder told bdnews24.com three compartments towards the end of the train had gone off the tracks. He said a passenger was seen trapped under one of the compartments. Chittagong Station Manager Shamsul Alam said the mail train left the station around 11am. Railway East Chief Engineer Mahbub Ul Alam said a rescue train had been sent to the spot of the accident. "There are parellel tracks in the area, so traffic will not be affected," he said.

 

[angelburst29]

In the News - China considering building high-speed railway to U.S.
_http://www.aol.com/article/2014/05/11/china-considering-building-high-speed-railway-to-u-s/20883832/?a_dgi

May 11, 2014 - Imagine you're on a nice, long train ride in the United States. You close your eyes for a quick nap and wake up in... China? Yup. That could happen if China goes through with a proposed high-speed railway linking it to the U.S.

The project, nicknamed the "China-Russia-Canada-America" line, would be over 8,000 miles long and was first reported in China's state-run Beijing Times newspaper. The paper interviewed a railway expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The Economic Times reports that, according to the expert, the "bullet trains can run at 350 km per hour, enabling passengers to travel from northeastern China to the US in less than two days."

According to Discovery one of the biggest challenges for the ambitious proposal would be building a tunnel to cross the Bering Strait, a 125-mile stretch of arctic water between Russia and Alaska.

​But according to China Daily, another state-ran newspaper, the technology to build the tunnel is already in place and will reportedly be used on a tunnel linking China to Taiwan - a distance of nearly 94 miles.

So, is it possible that we'll be taking a train over to China anytime soon? Not quite. There are more than a few skeptics out there, especially on a tunnel that runs four times the length of the Channel Tunnel - which runs from Great Britain to France.

The Economist's "Gulliver" is one skeptic, writing that "Although a 200km tunnel is probably feasible in theory, the cost versus the potential return would surely make it one of the world's most spectacular follies."

The Guardian, one of the first outlets to pick up the story, writes that "No other Chinese railway experts have come out in support of the proposed project. Whether the government has consulted Russia, the US or Canada is also unclear."

And according to Quartz, the astronomical cost might be what keeps the project from happening.

"The ... line could cost north of $200 billion-$52 billion to construct an undersea tunnel to cross the Bering strait and $172 billion for the rest of the railway across land.That would account for well over half of China's already massive high-speed rail budget of $300 billion."

​While it may be a while before the U.S. and China are connected via railway, the country has already started work on both a Pan-Asian and Eurasian railway

 

[angelburst29]

July 2, 2014 - Wednesday = SEWICKLEY (near Pittsburg), Pa. Freight train derailment
_http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/breaking-train-derailment-reported-sewickley/ngX2p/

SEWICKLEY, Pa. —
Locomotives on a Norfolk Southern freight train have derailed near Pittsburgh, catching fire and prompting the precautionary evacuation of nearby residents. The accident occurred near Chadwick Street in the area of Sewickley and Edgeworth, about 10 miles west of Pittsburgh along the north shore of the Ohio River. At least six fire companies rushed to the scene to battle the flames. “There are three engines off the tracks – one on its side. Two derailed. That was the difficult part about it because they were up against each other and on fire,” said Edgeworth Police Chief John English. Investigators said a train car was stopped or had slowed when a second train slammed into the back. Emergency crews said the train's engineer was taken to a hospital, though he was conscious and alert. At least 12 homes and several businesses, including Heritage Valley Medical Center, were evacuated as a precaution.

 

[Niall]

​200 evacuated, 4 injured in New Jersey train derailment
http://rt.com/usa/172500-derailment-new-jersey-evacuated/

RT
July 14, 2014

At least 200 people have been evacuated from a train that derailed in New Jersey after colliding with a truck that was crossing the tracks. Four people are currently in hospital with minor injuries following the incident.

Erica Dumas, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York, told AP that the two front wheels of the train went off the rails after the collision Sunday. Dumas said the truck driver, the train conductor, one passenger and an engineer were in hospital receiving treatment.

Authorities are currently investigating what could have caused the incident, which took place as the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train was on its way to Newark from Harrison.

Earlier this year in May two Metro-North passenger trains collided with each other during rush hour in Bridgeport Connecticut, leaving dozens injured. As a result of the incident, authorities were forced to close the tracks to repair the damage.

 

[Gary]

By counting the number of reported incidents on Wikipedia up to today's date, it appears to give an indication of a significant increase in global train derailments this year.

2012 = 24

2013 = 26

2014 = 36 (including the incident Niall mentioned above, which has not been updated on Wikipedia yet).

Source: List of rail accidents (2010–present)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_accidents_%282010%E2%80%93present%29

In the context of train derailments, the Wikipedia definition is:

"A derailment is said to take place when a train runs off its track. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system, and they are potentially seriously hazardous to human health and safety."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derailment


Interestingly, there is another form of 'derailment' which also appears to be increasing this year, as indicated in the thread: Unhinged madness and full scale mass pathology; but this particular definition also suggests a more creative aspect - people being able to think more laterally (perhaps even rationally?).


http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,35375.msg506276.html#msg506276

From Wikipedia (my emphases)

Derailment (thought disorder)

In psychiatry, derailment (also loosening of association, asyndesis, asyndetic thinking, knight's move thinking, or entgleisen) is a thought disorder characterized by discourse consisting of a sequence of unrelated or only remotely related ideas. The frame of reference often changes from one sentence to the next.

In a mild manifestation, this thought disorder is characterized by slippage of ideas further and further from the point of a discussion. Some of the synonyms given above (loosening of association, asyndetic thinking) are used by some authors to refer just to a loss of goal: discourse that sets off on a particular idea, wanders off and never returns to it. A related term is tangentiality—it refers to off-the-point, oblique or irrelevant answers given to questions. In some studies on creativity, knight's move thinking, while it describes a similarly loose association of ideas, it is not considered a mental disorder or the hallmark of one; it is sometimes used as a synonym for lateral thinking.

Examples

"The next day when I'd be going out you know, I took control, like uh, I put bleach on my hair in California."—given by Nancy C. Andreasen
"The traffic is rumbling along the main road. They are going to the north. Why do girls always play pantomime heroes."—given by Carl Schneider

History

Entgleisen (derailment in German) was first used with this meaning by Carl Schneider in 1930. The term asyndesis was introduced by N. Cameron in 1938, while loosening of association was introduced by A. Bleuler in 1950. The phrase knight's move thinking was first used in the context of pathological thinking by the psychologist Peter McKellar in 1957, who hypothesized that schizophrenics fail to suppress divergent associations. Derailment was used with this meaning by Kurt Schneider in 1959.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derailment_%28thought_disorder%29

 

[Ca.]

This incident happened in Montana on 4-3-14. Interesting, it was Boeing cargo.

Montana Rail Link is attempting to remove three Boeing 737 fuselages that tumbled into a river in western Montana after a train accident on Thursday , July 3.

A train loaded with six Boeing 737 fuselages was en route from Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, Kansas, to the Boeing assembly line in Renton, Washington. The train was reportedly traveling well under the 35 mph speed limit before it went off the tracks about 10 miles west of Alberton. Three of fuselages fell off the rail cars but remained on land, while three others fell into the Clark Fork River below, according to the Weather Channel.

An attempt to remove the fuselages has started since Sunday, which could continue until Tuesday. Montana Rail Link spokeswoman said a crew of 50 with eight heavy-equipment machines was working together to hoist up the three fuselages that fell into the river, the Weather Channel reported.

Plane fuselages tumble into Montana river after train derailment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LQKpi-XVIA

 

[Keit]

Just heard the news. There are still people waiting to be retrieved.

15 killed, over 160 injured as Moscow Metro carriages derail in rush hour
_http://rt.com/news/172808-train-moscow-metro-evacuation/

15 people have been killed and over 160 injured as several subway cars derailed on the Moscow Metro on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya dark blue Metro line on Tuesday morning.

"According to the latest data, 15 people are dead. Three bodies have been retrieved,” Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov told journalists. He added 12 bodies remain stuck in the damaged train.

Media reports have emerged of 16 people being dead. Those have not yet been officially confirmed.

The driver of the derailed train, who was earlier reported dead, is actually alive and being treated in hospital, Moscow authorities say, according to RIA Novosti.

The accident happened during the morning rush hour when the train was packed with passengers.

 

[Keit]

15 people have been killed and over 160 injured as several subway cars derailed on the Moscow Metro on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya dark blue Metro line on Tuesday morning.

In the first video of the article, the reporter says, that derailment happened after the electricity was suddenly cut off to the rail.

http://www.sott.net/article/281944-Another-fatal-derailment-15-killed-over-160-injured-as-Moscow-Metro-carriages-derail-in-rush-hour

http://<iframe width="640" height="...Lw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Gary]

15 people have been killed and over 160 injured as several subway cars derailed on the Moscow Metro on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya dark blue Metro line on Tuesday morning.

In the first video of the article, the reporter says, that derailment happened after the electricity was suddenly cut off to the rail.

http://www.sott.net/article/281944-Another-fatal-derailment-15-killed-over-160-injured-as-Moscow-Metro-carriages-derail-in-rush-hour

Where a cause of this tragedy has been mentioned by the mainstream media outlets thus far, 'the power surge followed by sudden braking' explanation has been given.

The crash is said to have occurred after several cars left a track in a tunnel after a power surge triggered an alarm.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/usanow/2014/07/15/moscow-train-derail/12662123/

But despite the Moscow Metro system having experienced terrorist attacks previously, they seem rather keen to deny it before any investigation has begun.

It was not clear what caused the derailment, but the head of Moscow's Transportation Department said it was not a terrorist attack

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/15/world/europe/moscow-train-derailment/index.html


However, with recent events concerning the Ukraine, and Russia forging new global alliances, directly opposing US hegemony, a terrorist attack has to be very seriously considered.


The 7th July 2005 tube train bombing in London was initially identified as a derailment caused by a power surge.

A log of events released by London Underground (LU) to the BBC shows the confusion surrounding the first moments of last Thursday's terrorist attacks. The network at first thought it was dealing with a power surge, a derailment and person under a train. The Met was called at 0851 BST but it was not until 0917 that they knew they were dealing with an explosion.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4674469.stm

 

[Keit]

However, with recent events concerning the Ukraine, and Russia forging new global alliances, directly opposing US hegemony, a terrorist attack has to be very seriously considered.

This thought has crossed my mind as well, especially considering the fact, that Putin is currently abroad. In this case, if it were a terror attack, it could be sending a message. But it can be anything else, as well, really. Including having something to do with all the recent weirdness around the world.

 

[Siberia]

However, with recent events concerning the Ukraine, and Russia forging new global alliances, directly opposing US hegemony, a terrorist attack has to be very seriously considered.

This thought has crossed my mind as well, especially considering the fact, that Putin is currently abroad. In this case, if it were a terror attack, it could be sending a message. But it can be anything else, as well, really. Including having something to do with all the recent weirdness around the world.

According to Russian officials (Vladimir Markin, spokesman for the Russian Investigative Committee, and Maxim Liksutov, head of Moscow transport department):

No signs of terrorist act are being seen. It’s most likely a technological accident.

Witnesses say:

.. the train stopped so abruptly, that all the people fell on the floor.

As for the power surge version, it has also been ruled out already, according to the major Russian media (TV and others): http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_07_15/Death-toll-rises-in-Moscow-Metro-derailment-rises-to-5-over-95-injured-6658/.

Two other versions are considered currently: defects of either the wheels or the railway track or wrong point setting (wrong switching).

One of the train drivers says at Lenta.ru (in Russian: http://lenta.ru/articles/2014/07/15/metro/):

Power surge and hard braking cannot lead to derailment. This is ridiculous. It has never happened before. The train would slowly stop in this case. This is only possible in movies such as Metro 2013.

So what could make the train stop so abruptly at the speed of 70 km per hour? Hmm..

 

[mabar]

Another train crash in France

17 Hurt in Hi-Speed TGV Train Crash in Southwest France --Story First Published: July 17, 2014 23:43 IST

Bordeaux, France: Seventeen people were hurt, three seriously, in a collision between a high-speed TGV and a regional train near Pau in southwest France on Thursday, authorities said.

The accident happened when a regional train going to Dax apparently ran into the back of the Tarbes to Paris TGV, which was carrying 178 passengers, near the village of Denguin in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Police said two of the injured were airlifted to hospital by helicopter.

Rescue workers - who have set up a crisis center in a school near the scene - said there were 60 people on board the local train when the accident happened at 1538 GMT.

 

[Altair]

15 people have been killed and over 160 injured as several subway cars derailed on the Moscow Metro on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya dark blue Metro line on Tuesday morning.

In the first video of the article, the reporter says, that derailment happened after the electricity was suddenly cut off to the rail.

http://www.sott.net/article/281944-Another-fatal-derailment-15-killed-over-160-injured-as-Moscow-Metro-carriages-derail-in-rush-hour

http://<iframe width="640" height="...Lw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Perhaps the cause of this case can be ascribed to some EM phenomena (unstable magnetic field)?

 

[angelburst29]

More Than 100 Homes Evacuated After Wisconsin Train Derailment
July 20, 2014 - Sunday - Singer, Wisconsin Freight train derailment
_http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/slinger-wisconsin-train-derailment-267912681.html
_http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/train-derails-in-wisconsin...
_http://fox6now.com/2014/07/20/breaking-officials-on-scene-of-train-accident-in-slinger/

A Canadian National Railway Co. train headed for Illinois struck another freight train as it rolled through a small village in southeastern Wisconsin, causing cars to derail, injuring two people and spilling thousands of gallons of diesel oil that prompted the evacuation of dozens of homes. The southbound Canadian National train struck several Wisconsin & Southern Railroad cars around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at a rail crossing in Slinger, according to Patrick Waldron, a Canadian National spokesman. Three engines and 10 railcars derailed, Slinger Fire Chief Rick Hanke said. Slinger is about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee. About 5,000 gallons of diesel spilled from a locomotive fuel tank, Hanke said. Hazardous materials crews placed booms around the spilled fuel and crews worked to upright the derailed cars Monday morning. Some 100 people who live near the crash site were ordered from their homes as a precaution but they were allowed to return around 1:30 a.m. Monday, Hanke said.


July 20, 2014 - Sunday - Nisbet, Pennsylvania Freight train derailment
_http://wnep.com/2014/07/21/crews-repair-railroad-after-train-derailment/

SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP — It was an incredible sight for those who witnessed it first hand: tipped over rail cars after a train derailed Sunday near Nisbet. The Norfolk Southern train was making its regular trip from Lock Haven to Washingtonville when 12 of its cars became detached. “It’s just unreal, I never thought with it being full that they could actually you know tilt and actually turn over,” Bonnie Orwig of Salladasburg said. Of the 12 cars involved, 10 of them went onto their sides, including four that were full of coal. The two crew members in the train were uninjured. The railroad is still trying to figure out how this happened. After hearing about the derailment Kirk Marshall of Williamsport headed down to snap pictures. Now, a day later, he’s impressed with how quickly the crews have been working. “We come up here and there was about 11 or 12 coal cars sitting on the ground. Just total carnage and it’s really impressive to see how much they’ve gotten fixed,” Kirk Marshall said. A spokesperson for the railroad company says at this point they don’t know how much damage was done to the cars involved. They also unsure of how much track needs to be replaced. The cause of the train derailment is still under investigation.


July 17, 2014 - Thursday - Everett, Washington Freight train derailment
_http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Training-carrying-liquefied-petroleum-gas-derails-in-Everett-267602731.html

EVERETT, Wash. -- A train carrying liquefied petroleum gas derailed Thursday evening in Everett. A "switching incident" at about 6:30 p.m. caused four tank cars to derail at the BNSF Bayside Yard along West Marine Drive in Everett, according to BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas. The tanks were not significantly damaged and there were no gas leaks, Melonas said. Everett Fire personnel responded to the scene, but there were no injuries and the crews were quickly cleared. BNSF workers are bringing in machinery to re-rail the cars, and Melonas said the train should be ready to move by midnight.


July 16, 2014 - Wednesday -Kenaston Boulevard, Canada Freight train derailment
_http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Train-derails--267428201.html

Emergency officials are on scene at a train derailment that has blocked Kenaston Boulevard traffic in both directions. A southbound CN freight train went off the tracks around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday north of McGillivray Boulevard near Kenaston Commons. CN spokeswoman Emily Hamer said the derailment involved five cars carrying cement. The train wasn't carrying dangerous goods and there were no injuries or environmental threats, Hamer said. The rail cars were tilted but didn't fall over during the derailment. Crews were working to clear the tracks Wednesday evening. Nearby resident Kyle, 17, who didn’t want to give his last name, said he heard a loud bang while he was in his backyard, ran out and saw the derailed train. "It sounded like a big bang. It really got loud," he said.


July 16, 2014 - Wednesday - Saskatchewan, Toronto, Canada Freight train derailment
_http://online.wsj.com/articles/canadian-pacific-freight-train-derails-in-saskatchewan-1405559100?mod=yahoo_hs

TORONTO— Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. CP.T +0.88% said 24 railcars of a freight train carrying a mixed cargo that included gasoline derailed in Saskatchewan on Wednesday, causing no injuries or leakage. The 89-car train was heading eastbound on the railroad's mainline in Saskatchewan and was carrying lumber, asphalt and gasoline, said Ed Greenberg, a spokesman with the Calgary-based railroad. The incident is the third derailment of a major Canadian railroad in two weeks. On Thursday, a train operated by Canadian National Railway Co. CNR.T +0.76% carrying automobiles, carbon powder and empty fuel-tank cars derailed in eastern Ontario. On July 4, two crude-carrying cars on a CN train derailed in central Alberta. There were no reports of injuries or fire in those accidents. The latest derailment occurred at about 2 p.m. MDT Wednesday near Moose Jaw, a small city in south-central Saskatchewan about 40 miles west of Regina. Mr. Greenberg said that CP has several rerouting options in the Canadian province and isn't suspending service along its rail network. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has dispatched two investigators to the site, a spokesman for the agency said. CP also is investigating the accident, Mr. Greenberg said. Train derailments in Canada have faced heightened scrutiny amid regulators' moves to enhance rail safety in the wake of several fiery accidents in North America that involved crude-by-rail transport.

July 15, 2014 - Tuesday - WYTHEVILLE, Virginia Freight train derailment
_http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-train-derails-wytheville-virginia-24561251

Crews worked Tuesday to get a train back on track after a derailment scattered 14 cars along a rail line in southwest Virginia. Local officials in Wythe County said there were no injuries or property damage and the state Department of Environmental Quality reported no evidence of any spills from the Norfolk Southern derailment Monday night. The cause of the derailment was being investigated. The three-engine, 33-car train was en route from Louisville to the Port of Virginia with cargo primarily destined for export. Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman said 12 of the derailed cars were auto carriers while two were double-stack container cars. He could not immediately say what the container cars were hauling. Officials at the scene concluded the cargo was fingernail polish, which is classified as a low-level hazard, Wythe County spokesman Jeremy T.K. Farley said. DEQ staff was on the scene and found "no evidence of any spills, or any impacts to people's health or environment," spokesman William Haden wrote in an email. Chapman said Norfolk South crews and contractors were attempting to repair the rail to get the train back on track to Norfolk before salvaging the derailed cars. The line sees about 12 trains a day. "Right now we are holding traffic until it's repaired," he said. Farley said the derailment runs parallel with a street that includes businesses and houses in Wythe. He said there was no apparent damage to any structures, but he said it was causing some disruptions in the town of about 30,000. "Our main concern is making sure the public and environment is in no danger and we think that is the case," Farley said.


July 11, 2014 - Friday - Lawrence, Massachusetts Freight train derailment
_http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/11/freight-train-derails-lawrence-rail-yard/6TLyCWYz3jcABVt9ffOgtI/story.html

14-car Pan Am Railways freight train derailed in Lawrence Friday morning, officials said. The Lawrence Fire Department responded when seven cargo cars and one locomotive went off the tracks shortly after 11 a.m., said Chad Nickerson, a Lawrence firefighter. The eight cars that derailed were in the middle of the train. Four additional cars in the front and two locomotives in the back remained on the tracks. Deputy Fire Chief John McInnis said the train derailed between the South Union Street overpass and the rail yard on Andover Street. No one was injured, said McInnis. The train cars were empty and there were “no hazardous material concerns,” he said. The Haverhill commuter rail line was delayed for a short time, said Keolis Commuter Services spokesman Mac Daniel. Amtrak was unaffected.
Pan Am trains were unable to pass until the derailed train was moved. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.


July 10, 2014 - Thursday - Brockville, Ontario Passenger/Freight train derailment
_http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/07/10/derailment_of_26car_freight_train_in_brockville_delays_via_customers.html

Via Rail had to transport some of its passengers via charter bus after a CN freight train derailed in Brockville around 4 a.m. Thursday morning. Train trips from Toronto to Ottawa and Toronto to Montreal have been cancelled until further notice. Mylène Bélanger, a media representative for Via Rail Canada, told reporters that approximately 1,600 passengers have been affected. Customers were immediately alerted of the accident, which could set departure times back by up to one hour, when they arrived at Union Station. Bélanger said the company has found enough buses to carry all passengers scheduled to travel in the morning, but it is still working on getting rides for the afternoon. “We have no indication of how long this could last but we are making all efforts to secure buses for passengers travelling today,” she said. No injuries were reported, but the 26-car freight train did lose some of its cargo. Lindsay Fedchyshyn from CN Rail said two of the cars were carrying vehicles and another five were holding carbon powder, which is used for mostly water filtration. The train was also pulling 13 empty tanks which have fuel residue in them, but there aren’t any leaks, confirmed Fedchyshyn. The last six were empty platform cars. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed a team of investigators to the scene of the accident. They are currently trying to determine what caused the accident.


Mexican "Death Train" Derails, Stranding 1,300 Migrants Headed Toward U.S. Border
July 9, 2014 - Wednesday - southern Mexican state of Oaxaca Passenger train derailment
_http://www.hngn.com/articles/35813/20140710/mexican-death-train-derails-stranding-1-300-migrants-headed-toward.htm

A so-called "Death Train" used by Mexicans and Central Americans to travel toward the U.S. border derailed in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Wednesday, stranding at least 1,300 migrants, emergency services said. It was the same day that President Barack Obama met with Texas Gov. Rick Perry to discuss the border crisis. Nicknamed "the Beast," the cargo train unexpectedly came off the tracks Wednesday, leaving many of the migrants injured, Reuters reported. However, none of them, most of them young people, were reported to sustain any injuries while riding what others have referred to as "El Tren de la Muerte," or Death Train. Authorities said several days of heavy rain in southern Mexico may have been the cause of derailment


Nova Scotia train derailment caused when track 'buckled'
Update on a June 9, 2014 derailment
_http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/n-s-train-derailment-caused-when-track...

WEST RIVER STATION, N.S. - The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway has determined that a train carrying propane derailed last month in Pictou County when the track buckled. The province's Transportation Department says the cause of the derailment is outlined in a report submitted by the railway earlier this week. The department says the report determined the track buckled after a sudden and unusual fluctuation of rail temperature and accumulated steel stress in a section of track. Six homes were evacuated as a precaution June 9 after seven cars went off the tracks in West River Station, including six that overturned. Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan says his department is satisfied with the railway's response since the derailment, including replacing a portion of track and performing a stress test on the rail line. The government says the railway will also implement a number of preventative measures, including restricting train speed during certain hours in the summer and cancelling train operations in extreme heat. MacLellan says Transport Canada inspectors hired by the department will keep a close eye on the railway to ensure it is doing everything it can to prevent a similar incident.

 

[Minas Tirith]

Train derailed in landslide in Switzerland

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28775998

A train has derailed after a landslide near the Swiss ski resort of St Moritz, in what police describe as a "serious" accident.

Swiss national radio reported that one carriage had plunged into a ravine and another was hanging from the rails.

The extent of casualties is unclear but officials say the injured have been taken to hospital by helicopter and ambulance.

The landslide happened after heavy rain in eastern Switzerland overnight.