DB Derailment at Garmisch, 3 June

[LNW-GW Joint]

Reports are coming in of a derailment of a DB Regio regional train* on the Munich-Garmisch line, just north of Garmisch itself.
Pictures show several vehicles of a double-deck train derailed off the single track line.
There are reportedly 3 deaths and a significant number of injuries.
The link is in German but can be translated by browsers.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Waggon angehoben, fünftes Todesopfer gefunden

Nördlich von Garmisch-Partenkirchen läuft derzeit ein größerer Einsatz von Polizei und Feuerwehr in Burgrain. Dort ist ein Regionalzug entgleist.

www.bild.de

The train was probably derailed, according to a spokesman for the Federal Police. Three wagons had tipped over. At least three people are said to have died, there are several seriously injured. Three rescue helicopters from Tyrol (Austria) are also deployed. The Bundeswehr is also helping, as are numerous police officers who are currently stationed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen because of the upcoming G7 summit.

While this is yet another single-track accident in Bavaria, it doesn't appear that another train was involved.

* presumably the train was an RB6 service, 1207 Garmisch-Munich.

 

[peter166]

At least four dead after train crashes near ski resort in Germany

The regional service derailed north of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski resort in Bavaria.

metro.co.uk

Report that the crash has happened on the single track near Oberau north of Garmisch

 

[Davester50]

A few screen shots from the BBC Breaking news showing derailed double deck DB Regio carriages

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Death toll now four, with "dozens" injured.
Line closed between Garmisch and Oberau.
There must have been some serious energy dissipated, for the vehicles to end up in the positions pictured.
The location is about 2km north of Garmisch-Partenkirchen station, and from the Schweers atlas is on a downhill gradient up to 2% (1 in 50).

 

[D6130]

presumably the train was an RB6 service, 1207 Garmisch-Munich.

According to the BBC News site, the accident happened at about 13 15 local time, so the train involved would have been RB 5414, 13 07 from Garmisch, due into Muenchen Hbf 14 26.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

According to the BBC News site, the accident happened at about 13 15 local time, so the train involved would have been RB 5414, 13 07 from Garmisch, due into Muenchen Hbf 14 26.

The local reports in Bild and Süddeutsche Zeitung say 1215 (presumably CET).

Aktuelle Nachrichten, Hintergründe und Kommentare - SZ.de

News aus Deutschland und aller Welt mit Kommentaren und Hintergrundberichten auf Süddeutsche.de.

www.sueddeutsche.de

The accident occurred around 12.15 p.m. in the district of Burgrain in the Loisachauen. Aerial photographs show that the train was travelling with double-deck coaches on a single-lane long curve. A switch is not to be seen. The section of the line is elevated on a railway embankment, several wagons slid from the dam into a small stream. According to initial assumptions, a fault on the track could be the cause.

 

[DanNCL]

The RB6 is usually a Talent 2 EMU, and I can't help thinking that the consequences might not have been as severe if this had been worked by one of the usual units instead of the loco hauled stock. It would still have been nasty, just maybe not quite as bad as it actually was.

 

[paul_munich]

It was a BR 111 pushing five Dostos, line speed was 100 km/h.
Sadly today, some 23 years ago, ICE 884 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen derailed in Eschede, where 101 people were killed.

 

[YorkshireBear]

The RB6 is usually a Talent 2 EMU, and I can't help thinking that the consequences might not have been as severe if this had been worked by one of the usual units instead of the loco hauled stock. It would still have been nasty, just maybe not quite as bad as it actually was.

I was thinking the same thing...

 

[150249]

I believe that today is the 24th anniversary of the Eschede Derailment

 

[D6130]

The local reports in Bild and Süddeutsche Zeitung say 1215 (presumably CET).

Fair enough....I'm afraid I was too busy writing-up the thread for the almost simultaneous - although thankfully not fatal - derailment near Rome.

 

[JaJaWa]

Bavaria train crash: At least four killed in German rail accident

At least four people die and some 30 are injured after a train derails in the state of Bavaria.

www.bbc.com

It comes as Germany launched a new discounted rail ticket and Mr Sonntag said the regional train was "very crowded and many people were using it, hence the high number of injured".

Is this why different stock was used?

 

[Watershed]

Bavaria train crash: At least four killed in German rail accident

At least four people die and some 30 are injured after a train derails in the state of Bavaria.

www.bbc.com

Is this why different stock was used?

60 people isn't a lot for a 5 coach double decker. You'd easily fit that in one coach.

 

[TheEdge]

A tragic incident and on a really unfortunate date.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

The RB6 is usually a Talent 2 EMU, and I can't help thinking that the consequences might not have been as severe if this had been worked by one of the usual units instead of the loco hauled stock. It would still have been nasty, just maybe not quite as bad as it actually was.

There is one diagram on the Garmisch line which is booked 111 and Dostos nothing to do with the current fare promotions.

Booked on the following Mon to Fri:

59440 MGP 05:00 - 06:18 MH N
59447 MH N 06:32 - 07:54 MGP
59456 MGP 08:07 - 09:26 MH N
59449 MH N 10:32 - 11:54 MGP
59458 MGP 12:07 - 13:26 MH N
59451 MH N 14:32 - 15:54 MGP
59460 MGP 16:07 - 17:26 MH N
59453 MH N 18:32 - 19:54 MGP

It was train 59458, the 12:07 from Garmisch which sadly crashed today.

 

[najaB]

It was a BR 111 pushing five Dostos, line speed was 100 km/h.

Thanks. I was trying to figure out which direction the train was moving relative to the pictures. Is it me, or does it look like the track is buckled in the first picture posted by @Davester50 ?

(Though, it's entirely that was as a result, rather than being the cause of, the accident).

 

[duesselmartin]

TV pictures BR24 suggest the driving trailer is still up right and the middle coaches fell on its side.

 

[M&NEJ]

Video shown on Sky news, taken from the road, showed a side view of the loco beside an OHLE mast. The mast was damaged and seemed to be bent over in the direction of travel of the train.

 

[paul_munich]

Is this why different stock was used?

After the Munich Airport-Regensburg service was opened a couple of years ago, some Bombadier Talents were taken from the Munich-Garmisch-Innsbruck line to be used on the AirPort Express.
So it has nothing to do with the 9€ ticket…

 

[Essan]

60 people isn't a lot for a 5 coach double decker. You'd easily fit that in one coach.

That's what I thought. And yet according to the latest BBC Report "Mr Sonntag said the regional train was "very crowded and many people were using it, hence the high number of injured".

(my emphasis)

 

[nw12398]

60 people isn't a lot for a 5 coach double decker. You'd easily fit that in one coach.

Other sources are suggesting more - DW suggests around 140 total, Guardian suggests around 140 who weren't fatalities or serious injuries.

Germany: Death toll rises after train crash in Bavaria – DW – 06/05/2022

Five people died and several more were injured after a passenger train derailed in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Alpine region of Bavaria. Officials have now said there are no further people unaccounted for.

www.dw.com

At least four dead after train derails in southern Germany

Sixteen others seriously injured in crash near resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, south of Munich

www.theguardian.com

 

[Watershed]

Other sources are suggesting more - DW suggests around 140 total, Guardian suggests around 140 who weren't fatalities or serious injuries.

Germany: Death toll rises after train crash in Bavaria – DW – 06/05/2022

Five people died and several more were injured after a passenger train derailed in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Alpine region of Bavaria. Officials have now said there are no further people unaccounted for.

www.dw.com

At least four dead after train derails in southern Germany

Sixteen others seriously injured in crash near resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, south of Munich

www.theguardian.com

Even then, that suggests the train was barely half filled. So hardly "crowded".

 

[najaB]

Even then, that suggests the train was barely half filled. So hardly "crowded".

Perhaps it was crowded earlier in the journey?

 

[D6130]

Perhaps it was crowded earlier in the journey?

It had only just started its journey and was approaching its first stop, IIRC.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Bild is reporting that lifting efforts for the coaches failed during the night, with another attempt being made this morning.
Until then the rescuers are unclear about the numbers involved.

 

[BRX]

The RB6 is usually a Talent 2 EMU, and I can't help thinking that the consequences might not have been as severe if this had been worked by one of the usual units instead of the loco hauled stock. It would still have been nasty, just maybe not quite as bad as it actually was.

I wonder if this is balanced out by the risk traveling in the other direction (loco on front) where a loco hauled set might produce less severe results than an EMU.

 

[Richard Scott]

The RB6 is usually a Talent 2 EMU, and I can't help thinking that the consequences might not have been as severe if this had been worked by one of the usual units instead of the loco hauled stock. It would still have been nasty, just maybe not quite as bad as it actually was.

What is their crashworthiness like? Modern European units, particularly diesel ones (know you're referring to electric ones here), look very flimsy. Never been convinced they'd perform particularly well in an accident. Think a double deck Flirt had a collision a while back (a brand new WestBahn one?) and front coach was virtually destroyed?

 

[MarkyT]

I wonder if this might have been an overspeed in curve incident. The site at Burgrain is a fairly long curve of 450m radius, the first major curvature encountered about 2.5km after leaving Garmisch. According to OpenRailwayMap, the 100kph general line speed limit isn't further restricted locally for this curve and the figure seems reasonable for the radius, but if a train was going significantly more than line speed then this may have been the most likely location for a derailment to occur.

OpenRailwayMap

OpenRailwayMap - An OpenStreetMap-based project for creating a map of the world's railway infrastructure.

www.openrailwaymap.org

 

[AndrewE]

I wonder if this might have been an overspeed in curve incident. The site at Burgrain is a fairly long curve of 450m radius, the first major curvature encountered about 2.5km after leaving Garmisch. According to OpenRailwayMap, the 100kph general line speed limit isn't further restricted locally for this curve and the figure seems reasonable for the radius, but if a train was going significantly more than line speed then this may have been the most likely location for a derailment to occur.

OpenRailwayMap

OpenRailwayMap - An OpenStreetMap-based project for creating a map of the world's railway infrastructure.

www.openrailwaymap.org

a) why imagine that the train was going significantly faster than it should have been? I guess it is not impossible if a loco was propelling just a few coaches though...
b) why would you expect this to cause the derailment? Our recent experience at Peterborough shows how well railways cope with speeds above what was intended.

 

[MarkyT]

a) why imagine that the train was going significantly faster than it should have been? I guess it is not impossible if a loco was propelling just a few coaches though...
b) why would you expect this to cause the derailment? Our recent experience at Peterborough shows how well railways cope with speeds above what was intended.

I expect double-deck coaches have a higher centre of gravity than a UK 80x, especially when well loaded upstairs. Also a slow crossover, as at Peterborough, usually has a fairly short tight curve one way followed quickly by an immediate reverse curve the other way, so little of the train will be leaning the same way for very long simultaneously, whereas the Bavarian curve has a continuous 450m radius for over 350m. Electric trains can accelerate quickly. It's just one theory. The presence of the curve could also have contributed to the scale of the derailment if the root cause turns out to be some other mechanical failure or track defect, even if no speeding was involved.