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Spain train horror crash
- Thread starter Hemi300c
- Start date
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Mystery Phone Call complicates inquiry
A mysterious phone call has complicated the inquiry into the rail crash that killed 79 people in Spain last week.
The train's black box reveals engine driver Francisco Jose Garzon received a call from an employee of the rail company Renfe a few minutes before the train derailed.
The phone call is now believed to have possibly distracted the driver, casting doubt on the official version depicting him as the sole person responsible for the crash.
The high-speed Alvia train derailed at a tight curve and split apart as it was approaching Santiago de Compostela on July 24. Seventy-nine people were killed and more than 150 injured.
Garzon told investigators he had driven at 190 kilometres per hour (km/h) at the curve, where the speed limit was 80 km/h.
He said he had become "absent-minded" and lost track of the route. He ruled out the possibility of a technical problem and assumed all the blame.
The train's black box, however, revealed that a rail employee called Garzon to give instructions on which platform to enter at a station coming up after Santiago de Compostela.
Such calls are prohibited - both for the caller and the receiver - though the prohibition is not always respected, engine drivers said.
The caller should have used a cordless telephone system transmitting over radio waves with which the train cabin was equipped, they added.
Investigators were unable to immediately identify the caller, while commentators were wondering why Garzon had not spoken about the call.
"I do not want to implicate anyone," the daily El Pais quoted the driver as telling his colleagues.
The 52-year-old, who is known as being extremely responsible and who has expressed massive feelings of guilt, may have felt he alone was to blame.
Many Spaniards, however, suspected that was not the whole truth. Renfe may have wanted to "cover up" something, El Pais readers commented on the internet.
Garzon's willingness to assume the blame has suited the Spanish government and rail authorities, who have insisted that the high-speed AVE network - the pride of Spain's transport system - is safe.
Rail authorities stress the crash did not occur on high-speed tracks, but on conventional tracks the train had entered before the curve.
That was precisely one reason why the curve was dangerous, critics say. The conventional tracks lacked the European Train Control System, which automatically slows down trains if they go faster than the permitted speed.
Garzon himself had earlier warned Renfe that the sharp curve without warning signs was not safe, according to rail union representatives.
But the government has no interest in anyone criticizing the AVE network at a time when crisis-hit Spain is hoping to land rail technology contracts worth more than 100 billion euros (130 billion dollars) in countries including Brazil, Russia, the United States and Kazakhstan.
A Spanish-Saudi consortium is currently building a high-speed railway to link Mecca and Medina in a deal worth 6.7 billion euros.
The Infrastructure Ministry has agreed with rail construction companies to defend the reputation of the AVE network against any suspicions arising from the accident, the daily Voz de Galicia reported.
Source : Sapa-dpa /sdv
Date : 31 Jul 2013 14:20
A mysterious phone call has complicated the inquiry into the rail crash that killed 79 people in Spain last week.
The train's black box reveals engine driver Francisco Jose Garzon received a call from an employee of the rail company Renfe a few minutes before the train derailed.
The phone call is now believed to have possibly distracted the driver, casting doubt on the official version depicting him as the sole person responsible for the crash.
The high-speed Alvia train derailed at a tight curve and split apart as it was approaching Santiago de Compostela on July 24. Seventy-nine people were killed and more than 150 injured.
Garzon told investigators he had driven at 190 kilometres per hour (km/h) at the curve, where the speed limit was 80 km/h.
He said he had become "absent-minded" and lost track of the route. He ruled out the possibility of a technical problem and assumed all the blame.
The train's black box, however, revealed that a rail employee called Garzon to give instructions on which platform to enter at a station coming up after Santiago de Compostela.
Such calls are prohibited - both for the caller and the receiver - though the prohibition is not always respected, engine drivers said.
The caller should have used a cordless telephone system transmitting over radio waves with which the train cabin was equipped, they added.
Investigators were unable to immediately identify the caller, while commentators were wondering why Garzon had not spoken about the call.
"I do not want to implicate anyone," the daily El Pais quoted the driver as telling his colleagues.
The 52-year-old, who is known as being extremely responsible and who has expressed massive feelings of guilt, may have felt he alone was to blame.
Many Spaniards, however, suspected that was not the whole truth. Renfe may have wanted to "cover up" something, El Pais readers commented on the internet.
Garzon's willingness to assume the blame has suited the Spanish government and rail authorities, who have insisted that the high-speed AVE network - the pride of Spain's transport system - is safe.
Rail authorities stress the crash did not occur on high-speed tracks, but on conventional tracks the train had entered before the curve.
That was precisely one reason why the curve was dangerous, critics say. The conventional tracks lacked the European Train Control System, which automatically slows down trains if they go faster than the permitted speed.
Garzon himself had earlier warned Renfe that the sharp curve without warning signs was not safe, according to rail union representatives.
But the government has no interest in anyone criticizing the AVE network at a time when crisis-hit Spain is hoping to land rail technology contracts worth more than 100 billion euros (130 billion dollars) in countries including Brazil, Russia, the United States and Kazakhstan.
A Spanish-Saudi consortium is currently building a high-speed railway to link Mecca and Medina in a deal worth 6.7 billion euros.
The Infrastructure Ministry has agreed with rail construction companies to defend the reputation of the AVE network against any suspicions arising from the accident, the daily Voz de Galicia reported.
Source : Sapa-dpa /sdv
Date : 31 Jul 2013 14:20
The_Assimilator
Executive Member
Why would you spend massive amounts of money on a high-speed rail system, and then NOT implement simple failsafes that would prevent this sort of accident? This is negligence, pure and simple.
While the driver is partially responsible, I respect him because he has not tried to deny it. On the other hand, Renfe is also responsible, yet seems willing to pin all the blame on the driver.
While the driver is partially responsible, I respect him because he has not tried to deny it. On the other hand, Renfe is also responsible, yet seems willing to pin all the blame on the driver.
Azbubu
Honorary Master
The trains in Spain derail mostly on terrain.
Rocket Raccoon
Executive Member
The trains in Spain derail mostly on terrain
The trains in Spain derail mostly on terrain
The derails in terrain train mostly on Spain
The terrain in depain Sane mostly on rain
USZA
Executive Member
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Spain Train Driver activated Emergency Brake before Crash
The driver of the train that crashed in Spain last week activated an emergency brake just before derailing, media reported on Friday.
The high-speed Alvia train veered off the rails and split apart not far from the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela on July 24. Seventy-nine people were killed and more than 150 were injured.
Engine driver Francisco Jose Garzon has admitted to driving at more than twice the speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour on the curve.
The train's black box revealed that before arriving at the curve Garzon was driving at 199 kilometres per hour in a spot where the speed limit was 200 km/h, according to the news agency EFE and the daily El Pais.
At that point, he received a phone call from a ticket inspector travelling on the same train, who wanted to instruct him which platform to enter at an upcoming station to facilitate the exit of a family with children.
The train's security system alerted Garzon that he was about to enter the curve.
The phone call lasted less than two minutes and ended 11 seconds before the crash.
The black box reveals the driver screamed and entered the curve at 195 km/h. He then activated the emergency brake, and the train derailed at 179 km/h.
Garzon and ticket inspector Antonio Martin Marugan had initially kept silent about the phone call. Martin has denied that the two wanted to keep it secret, saying they were too shocked by the accident to discuss all the details.
Martin was questioned by an investigating judge, refusing to talk to journalists on leaving the court on Friday.
Garzon has been charged with 79 counts of homicide through professional recklessness.
But judge Luis Alaez has said Martin could not be held responsible for the accident, even if his phone call had been "unfortunate." The ticket inspector was questioned as a witness.
Rail union representatives said such phone calls were not unusual, even if the rail company Renfe instructs employees on trains to use phones only in cases of emergency.
Fifty-four injured victims remain in hospital. Nine of them are listed in critical condition.
Source : Sapa-dpa /nsm
Date : 02 Aug 2013 14:04
The driver of the train that crashed in Spain last week activated an emergency brake just before derailing, media reported on Friday.
The high-speed Alvia train veered off the rails and split apart not far from the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela on July 24. Seventy-nine people were killed and more than 150 were injured.
Engine driver Francisco Jose Garzon has admitted to driving at more than twice the speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour on the curve.
The train's black box revealed that before arriving at the curve Garzon was driving at 199 kilometres per hour in a spot where the speed limit was 200 km/h, according to the news agency EFE and the daily El Pais.
At that point, he received a phone call from a ticket inspector travelling on the same train, who wanted to instruct him which platform to enter at an upcoming station to facilitate the exit of a family with children.
The train's security system alerted Garzon that he was about to enter the curve.
The phone call lasted less than two minutes and ended 11 seconds before the crash.
The black box reveals the driver screamed and entered the curve at 195 km/h. He then activated the emergency brake, and the train derailed at 179 km/h.
Garzon and ticket inspector Antonio Martin Marugan had initially kept silent about the phone call. Martin has denied that the two wanted to keep it secret, saying they were too shocked by the accident to discuss all the details.
Martin was questioned by an investigating judge, refusing to talk to journalists on leaving the court on Friday.
Garzon has been charged with 79 counts of homicide through professional recklessness.
But judge Luis Alaez has said Martin could not be held responsible for the accident, even if his phone call had been "unfortunate." The ticket inspector was questioned as a witness.
Rail union representatives said such phone calls were not unusual, even if the rail company Renfe instructs employees on trains to use phones only in cases of emergency.
Fifty-four injured victims remain in hospital. Nine of them are listed in critical condition.
Source : Sapa-dpa /nsm
Date : 02 Aug 2013 14:04
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Conductor says he is not to blame for Spain Train Crash
A conductor said Friday he was not to blame for a Spanish train derailment that killed 79 people on July 24 despite telephoning the driver just before the disaster.
The on-board conductor said his call to the driver had already ended when the speeding train flew off the rails and hurtled into a concrete siding near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela.
"I have not felt I was to blame at any time," the conductor told reporters as he arrived at the court in Santiago de Compostela, which is running a criminal investigation into the accident.
The conductor is appearing only as a witness and is not accused of wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, he said he felt shaken after Spain's deadliest railway crash in decades.
"I am pretty well physically and injured psychologically," he told media.
The court, presided over by Judge Luis Alaez, has not released the conductor's name but he has been widely identified in the media as Antonio Martin Marugan.
On Thursday, the judge said the conductor, who had called the driver to discuss which track to use on a later stop, was not being accused of criminal negligence.
"The fact of consulting the driver to know if the train could run on a particular track was something normal," the judge said. "It was not the cause of the derailment."
"Even if it was unfortunate that the call took place at that place and time, it is not sufficient to make an accusation of criminal negligence."
The train driver, 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, has been released on bail charged with 79 counts of reckless homicide while the court investigates.
With 79 people killed and more than 100 injured, it was Spain's worst rail disaster since 1944.
Garzon had said in his first testimony to the Galicia regional court on Sunday that he "didn't understand" how he failed to brake in time, a recording of his court hearing revealed.
"I can't explain. I still don't understand," the driver told the judge when asked why he hadn't slowed down in time to take a sharp bend four kilometres (three miles) away from Santiago de Compostela.
Asked again about what caused him to crash, he added: "I tell you sincerely that I don't know. Otherwise I would not have been so crazy as not to brake" earlier.
Railway officials say the track where the train crashed was not equipped with the automatic braking systems in place on some high-speed lines and that it was therefore left up to the driver to brake.
The driver told the judge he had braked, but by the time he did so the crash was "inevitable".
"Before the train turned over, I had activated everything but I saw that no, no, it wasn't working."
The black box data recorders revealed the train was going at 192 kilometres (119 miles) per hour before braking shortly before the bend. When it derailed it was travelling at 153 kph -- nearly twice the 80 kph speed limit on that part of the line.
Source : Sapa-AFP /nsm
Date : 02 Aug 2013 15:36
A conductor said Friday he was not to blame for a Spanish train derailment that killed 79 people on July 24 despite telephoning the driver just before the disaster.
The on-board conductor said his call to the driver had already ended when the speeding train flew off the rails and hurtled into a concrete siding near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela.
"I have not felt I was to blame at any time," the conductor told reporters as he arrived at the court in Santiago de Compostela, which is running a criminal investigation into the accident.
The conductor is appearing only as a witness and is not accused of wrongdoing.
Nevertheless, he said he felt shaken after Spain's deadliest railway crash in decades.
"I am pretty well physically and injured psychologically," he told media.
The court, presided over by Judge Luis Alaez, has not released the conductor's name but he has been widely identified in the media as Antonio Martin Marugan.
On Thursday, the judge said the conductor, who had called the driver to discuss which track to use on a later stop, was not being accused of criminal negligence.
"The fact of consulting the driver to know if the train could run on a particular track was something normal," the judge said. "It was not the cause of the derailment."
"Even if it was unfortunate that the call took place at that place and time, it is not sufficient to make an accusation of criminal negligence."
The train driver, 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, has been released on bail charged with 79 counts of reckless homicide while the court investigates.
With 79 people killed and more than 100 injured, it was Spain's worst rail disaster since 1944.
Garzon had said in his first testimony to the Galicia regional court on Sunday that he "didn't understand" how he failed to brake in time, a recording of his court hearing revealed.
"I can't explain. I still don't understand," the driver told the judge when asked why he hadn't slowed down in time to take a sharp bend four kilometres (three miles) away from Santiago de Compostela.
Asked again about what caused him to crash, he added: "I tell you sincerely that I don't know. Otherwise I would not have been so crazy as not to brake" earlier.
Railway officials say the track where the train crashed was not equipped with the automatic braking systems in place on some high-speed lines and that it was therefore left up to the driver to brake.
The driver told the judge he had braked, but by the time he did so the crash was "inevitable".
"Before the train turned over, I had activated everything but I saw that no, no, it wasn't working."
The black box data recorders revealed the train was going at 192 kilometres (119 miles) per hour before braking shortly before the bend. When it derailed it was travelling at 153 kph -- nearly twice the 80 kph speed limit on that part of the line.
Source : Sapa-AFP /nsm
Date : 02 Aug 2013 15:36
supersunbird
Honorary Master
LOL. So cellphone calls have no impact on driving ability either silly Judge?
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Recording of Spain Train Driver Emerges
The driver of a Spanish train that flew off the rails and killed 79 people admitted speeding but complained bitterly about a dangerous curve as he lay trapped in his cabin, a new recording reveals.
In a dramatic telephone call to rail officials moments after the July 24 disaster, injured train driver Francisco Jose Garzon Amo can be heard pleading to God, fretting over the fate of passengers and decrying the bend where the train derailed.
"There must be many wounded because it has turned over. I can't get out of the cabin," he said, pausing for breath every few words, in a recording released online on Thursday by leading daily El Pais.
The train's two data recording "black boxes" showed that moments before the crash the train was travelling at 192 kph (119 mph). The speed limit on the curve was 80 kph.
"It was green and I had a lapse and, how to say it, I should have gone at 80 and I went at 190 or something like that," the driver said in the call to rail officials at Madrid's Atocha station.
"Oh my God. I told those guys at safety that it was dangerous and one day we would lose concentration and pay for it," he complained.
"I already told those guys at safety that it was very dangerous," the driver repeated. "We are human and this can happen to us. This curve is inhuman," he added.
A rail official tried in vain over the phone to calm the driver as he lay trapped in the wreckage with fractured ribs.
"Yes, yes, I have turned over. My God, my God, the poor passengers. I hope no-one is dead. I hope. I hope," the driver said.
The eight-carriage train derailed and ploughed into a concrete siding about four kilometres (2.5 miles) from Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.
It was the country's deadliest train accident in decades.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 06 Sep 2013 14:09
The driver of a Spanish train that flew off the rails and killed 79 people admitted speeding but complained bitterly about a dangerous curve as he lay trapped in his cabin, a new recording reveals.
In a dramatic telephone call to rail officials moments after the July 24 disaster, injured train driver Francisco Jose Garzon Amo can be heard pleading to God, fretting over the fate of passengers and decrying the bend where the train derailed.
"There must be many wounded because it has turned over. I can't get out of the cabin," he said, pausing for breath every few words, in a recording released online on Thursday by leading daily El Pais.
The train's two data recording "black boxes" showed that moments before the crash the train was travelling at 192 kph (119 mph). The speed limit on the curve was 80 kph.
"It was green and I had a lapse and, how to say it, I should have gone at 80 and I went at 190 or something like that," the driver said in the call to rail officials at Madrid's Atocha station.
"Oh my God. I told those guys at safety that it was dangerous and one day we would lose concentration and pay for it," he complained.
"I already told those guys at safety that it was very dangerous," the driver repeated. "We are human and this can happen to us. This curve is inhuman," he added.
A rail official tried in vain over the phone to calm the driver as he lay trapped in the wreckage with fractured ribs.
"Yes, yes, I have turned over. My God, my God, the poor passengers. I hope no-one is dead. I hope. I hope," the driver said.
The eight-carriage train derailed and ploughed into a concrete siding about four kilometres (2.5 miles) from Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.
It was the country's deadliest train accident in decades.
Source : Sapa-AFP /lk
Date : 06 Sep 2013 14:09
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Probe Names 22 New Suspects
The judge investigating a high-speed train crash that killed 79 people in Spain has named 22 rail infrastructure company officials as suspects.
A court statement said Judge Luis Alaez has asked the Adif officials, including the company's three most recent presidents, to come in for questioning as suspects between Oct. 9 and Dec. 11.
The officials also include board members and senior managers in charge of safety on the stretch near Santiago de Compostela where the crash occurred.
The statement said they, and potentially others from Adif, will be treated as suspects while the judge tries to determine whether the track was safe.
The train driver has admitted going too fast when the July 24 crash occurred and has been provisionally charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide.
Source : Sapa-AP /pk
Date : 25 Sep 2013 11:10
The judge investigating a high-speed train crash that killed 79 people in Spain has named 22 rail infrastructure company officials as suspects.
A court statement said Judge Luis Alaez has asked the Adif officials, including the company's three most recent presidents, to come in for questioning as suspects between Oct. 9 and Dec. 11.
The officials also include board members and senior managers in charge of safety on the stretch near Santiago de Compostela where the crash occurred.
The statement said they, and potentially others from Adif, will be treated as suspects while the judge tries to determine whether the track was safe.
The train driver has admitted going too fast when the July 24 crash occurred and has been provisionally charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide.
Source : Sapa-AP /pk
Date : 25 Sep 2013 11:10
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Spanish Rail Bosses Charged
A Spanish judge on Tuesday charged the president of the company in charge of Spain's rail infrastructure and his two predecessors in connection with a train derailment that killed 79 people in July.
The three men are among 30 current and former leaders of the company Adif, who were charged over "a serious lack of action" on security issues, under a judicial inquiry into the accident.
Current Adif president Gonzalo Ferre was summoned to appear before Judge Luis Alaez on October 10, and his predecessors Enrique Verdeguer and Antonia Gonzalez Martin on December 11, according to the court ruling.
The eight carriage train was hurtling around a bend at 179 kph (111 mph), more than twice the speed limit, when it flew off the tracks near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela on July 24, according to its data recording "black boxes".
The driver, 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was on the telephone to the on-board conductor and stopped speaking just 11 seconds before the train flew off the tracks and ploughed into a concrete siding, coming to rest in a mangled heap.
Garzon has been provisionally charged with 79 counts of reckless homicide. He has been released under court supervision while the investigation into the crash continues.
Judge Alaez criticised the disconnection of the advanced European Rail Traffic Management System on the stretch of railway, which would put in place automatic braking if the speed limit was exceeded.
The tracks were however run under the standard Spanish ASFA system "without demanding or adopting any measures of additional security...to try and compensate for this obvious lack of security on a high-speed railway segment."
ASFA will only put in place an emergency brake if the train passes a signal at the time at which it is speeding.
The judge said the Adif leaders "allowed this situation to endure until the accident, with a serious risk for people's life."
Adif and the state company that runs the trains, Renfe, have both denied any technical failings and said correct procedures were followed.
Adif in August said it had improved speed signs at 80 "transition points" on its network where trains are required to significantly reduce their speed.
A recording of the driver's telephone call to rail officials minutes after the crash reveals he admitted speeding but complained bitterly about the dangerous curve
"Oh my God. I told those guys at safety that it was dangerous and one day we would lose concentration and pay for it," he said as he lay trapped in the wreckage.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 25 Sep 2013 00:14
A Spanish judge on Tuesday charged the president of the company in charge of Spain's rail infrastructure and his two predecessors in connection with a train derailment that killed 79 people in July.
The three men are among 30 current and former leaders of the company Adif, who were charged over "a serious lack of action" on security issues, under a judicial inquiry into the accident.
Current Adif president Gonzalo Ferre was summoned to appear before Judge Luis Alaez on October 10, and his predecessors Enrique Verdeguer and Antonia Gonzalez Martin on December 11, according to the court ruling.
The eight carriage train was hurtling around a bend at 179 kph (111 mph), more than twice the speed limit, when it flew off the tracks near the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela on July 24, according to its data recording "black boxes".
The driver, 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was on the telephone to the on-board conductor and stopped speaking just 11 seconds before the train flew off the tracks and ploughed into a concrete siding, coming to rest in a mangled heap.
Garzon has been provisionally charged with 79 counts of reckless homicide. He has been released under court supervision while the investigation into the crash continues.
Judge Alaez criticised the disconnection of the advanced European Rail Traffic Management System on the stretch of railway, which would put in place automatic braking if the speed limit was exceeded.
The tracks were however run under the standard Spanish ASFA system "without demanding or adopting any measures of additional security...to try and compensate for this obvious lack of security on a high-speed railway segment."
ASFA will only put in place an emergency brake if the train passes a signal at the time at which it is speeding.
The judge said the Adif leaders "allowed this situation to endure until the accident, with a serious risk for people's life."
Adif and the state company that runs the trains, Renfe, have both denied any technical failings and said correct procedures were followed.
Adif in August said it had improved speed signs at 80 "transition points" on its network where trains are required to significantly reduce their speed.
A recording of the driver's telephone call to rail officials minutes after the crash reveals he admitted speeding but complained bitterly about the dangerous curve
"Oh my God. I told those guys at safety that it was dangerous and one day we would lose concentration and pay for it," he said as he lay trapped in the wreckage.
Source : Sapa-AFP /mr
Date : 25 Sep 2013 00:14
LazyLion
King of de Jungle
Spain to restrict cellphone usage by drivers
Spain will ban cellphone use by train drivers except in cases of emergency after a train crash that killed 79 people.
Public Works Minister Ana Pastor said Tuesday that Spain also planned to install 'black box' data recorders like those used on planes, which give a more complete picture of incidents from the train journey.
The driver of the train that crashed July 24 outside Santiago de Compostela city has said he was going too fast and had been on the phone to a colleague moments beforehand.
He has been provisionally charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide. Formal charges are expected after another hearing.
Source : Sapa-AP /sdv
Date : 03 Dec 2013 15:02
Spain will ban cellphone use by train drivers except in cases of emergency after a train crash that killed 79 people.
Public Works Minister Ana Pastor said Tuesday that Spain also planned to install 'black box' data recorders like those used on planes, which give a more complete picture of incidents from the train journey.
The driver of the train that crashed July 24 outside Santiago de Compostela city has said he was going too fast and had been on the phone to a colleague moments beforehand.
He has been provisionally charged with multiple counts of negligent homicide. Formal charges are expected after another hearing.
Source : Sapa-AP /sdv
Date : 03 Dec 2013 15:02