France: Trams accident in Strasbourg at least 50 injured

[Gostav]

Up to 50 people hurt in tram crash at Strasbourg station as smoke fills tunnel

AT LEAST 50 people have been injured after two trams collided at a station in France. Harrowing footage shows the aftermath of the smash with onlookers breaking down the doors to pull terrified pas…

www.thesun.co.uk

AT least five people are reportedly fighting for life and dozens more are injured after two trams collided at a station in France.

Chaotic footage shows people breaking the doors of a tram to pull passengers out of the carriages after the horror crash at Strasbourg-Ville station.

People can be heard screaming as smoke filled the underground tunnel station after the accident.

Another video appears to show the two trams on the platform, with both their front and rear ends smashed up.

René Cellier, director of the fire and rescue service, said at least 50 passengers were injured in the crash, French outlet Actu17 reports.

And five of the wounded are reportedly in a critical condition.

Around 100 people were on the two trams at the time.

The collision is thought to have been caused by one of the trams accidentally switched tracks before hitting a second tram that was stopped at the station.

The number of injured suggests the tram must have been very full at the time.

Initial reports said one person had died, but this was later proven to be untrue.

 

[neonison]

The Sun (above) reports a ‘fatal’ collision though at the time of writing there is no other report of fatalities.

Photographs so far show damage and derailment but no telescoping or massive structural damage to either tram.

 

[Gostav]

The Sun (above) reports a ‘fatal’ collision though at the time of writing there is no other report of fatalities.

Photographs so far show damage and derailment but no telescoping or massive structural damage to either tram.

There were early reports said 1 died but this was later proven to be untrue.

 

[Masbroughlad]

I'd barely heard of this. News such as this from the EU doesn't make headlines in the UK anymore.

 

[canary fan]

I'd barely heard of this. News such as this from the EU doesn't make headlines in the UK anymore.

It’s one of the main stories on the BBC website.

 

[endecotp]

I'd barely heard of this. News such as this from the EU doesn't make headlines in the UK anymore.

It’s currently the 6th item on the BBC News website:

Strasbourg tram collision sees dozens injured

Two trams collide at the French city's main train station, a prefecture spokesperson says.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Masbroughlad]

Guess it depends on the media choice.

 

[Beebman]

The local newspaper 'Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace' has an update (in French) posted a couple of hours ago:

https://www.dna.fr/faits-divers-jus...-tramways-en-gare-une-cinquantaine-de-blesses

It looks like you can only read the start of one article for free but anyway this is a Google translation of it:

Collision between two trams: final toll shows 68 injured​

On Saturday afternoon, at 3:15 p.m., a tram at the platform at the underground stop of Strasbourg station was violently hit from the front by the tram in front of it.
The collision between two trams at Strasbourg station on Saturday left 68 people injured "in relative emergencies" according to the final report released on Sunday by the prefecture.

Hundreds of people unhurt​

The tram, which had to stop before the next station due to a traffic jam on the tracks, reversed for reasons that are still unknown and rolled down the slope leading to the station.

The victims had injuries consistent with trauma, "scalp wounds, one or two fractures of the collarbone, a sprained knee," explained the director of the Bas-Rhin fire and rescue service, René Cellier, on Saturday.
Fifty-nine victims were taken to hospital by firefighters, while 64 other people involved in the accident escaped unharmed.

An investigation opened​

The prosecution announced that it had opened an investigation into the charge of unintentional injuries, which aims to "determine the causes of the accident and to highlight possible criminal responsibilities". The hypothesis of a voluntary act has been ruled out.

Tram traffic at the station has been interrupted and will not resume for several days, the Strasbourg Transport Company (CTS) said.

 

[MarkyT]

A rollback incident? Trams have multiple brake systems and its usually absolutely forbidden to reverse for any distance on a conventional double track unidirectional on-sight operated line so its difficult to understand how this could have happened without multiple failures. The likelihood of all brakes failing simultaneously is tiny. I wonder if there could have been a misunderstood control room instruction like when a LU driver was given an order to terminate short and reverse, meaning draw forward into a centre reversing siding and change ends, but took it literally, changed ends in the platform and drove off in the wrong direction into the tunnel with no signal authorisation and thankfully no other traffic approaching. After this, LU put up a number of fixed red signals with trainstops at the wrong ends of station platforms to help prevent reoccurrence.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

I watched a video from the Munich Tram Authority a while back in which an Instructor Driver explained that in their older trams, if the driver doesn't manually apply a holding brake before leaving the cab, it would be possible for the tram to roll away unattended.

 

[stuving]

A rollback incident? Trams have multiple brake systems and its usually absolutely forbidden to reverse for any distance on a conventional double track unidirectional on-sight operated line so its difficult to understand how this could have happened without multiple failures. The likelihood of all brakes failing simultaneously is tiny. I wonder if there could have been a misunderstood control room instruction like when a LU driver was given an order to terminate short and reverse, meaning draw forward into a centre reversing siding and change ends, but took it literally, changed ends in the platform and drove off in the wrong direction into the tunnel with no signal authorisation and thankfully no other traffic approaching. After this, LU put up a number of fixed red signals with trainstops at the wrong ends of station platforms to help prevent reoccurrence.

TV reports do sound very much like an unpowered rollback. So far the prosecutors have ruled out any voluntary act by the driver as a cause. Presumably that was based on an initial reading of the data recorder (and the prosecutors' need to know if they are dealing with the driver as a criminal suspect). Further analysis of the recorded data should reveal more about the operation of the brakes and other systems - though of course there is no guarantee that all the key items of data for this enquiry are recorded.

 

[DanielB]

According to a post on another forum (with another forum as source) a tram heading out of the tunnel came to a stop as the tracks were blocked by protests. It was that tram that subsequently rolled back into the tunnel and collided with another tram coming behind.

 

[bahnause]

A rollback incident? Trams have multiple brake systems and its usually absolutely forbidden to reverse for any distance on a conventional double track unidirectional on-sight operated line so its difficult to understand how this could have happened without multiple failures. The likelihood of all brakes failing simultaneously is tiny.

A failure of the brake systems is in fact very unlikely. The activation of the holding brake may not have worked correctly. This should prevent a stationary vehicle from running away during a station stop (not to be confused with the parking brake). I remember the good old days with the ICE1. On these, the holding brake often released itself after 30 minutes of standing still...

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I note the following passage in the Sun article in the OP:

Another video appears to show the two trams on the platform, with both their front and rear ends smashed up.

That's some pretty terrible use of language there. Surely it was the front of one tram and the rear of another, not both ends of both trams as that wording suggests?
Speaking of which, are these trams double or single-ended? One would assume that an unused rear cab on the front of the two trams would act as a sacrificial section in the event of being rear-ended, in comparison to a single-ended tram which could have the rearmost section occupied by passengers?

 

[signed]

are these trams double or single-ended?

Double-ended. And we can clearly see on #1s picture that the bumper has crumbled to inexistance on the rear cab. But not enough to prevent a derailment of the struck tram lead cab.

Trams have multiple brake systems and its usually absolutely forbidden to reverse for any distance on a conventional double track unidirectional on-sight operated line so its difficult to understand how this could have happened without multiple failures.

It has been confirmed to be a rollback accident.

Some rumors from purported insiders (so fully unverified, but at a very light glance plausible) seem to indicate that power to the OHL went out while the tram was stopped to let protesters through at the top of the ramp.

The service brake disengaged due to the lack of traction power and the incline made the rollback happen.

 

[MarkyT]

Double-ended. And we can clearly see on #1s picture that the bumper has crumbled to inexistance on the rear cab. But not enough to prevent a derailment of the struck tram lead cab.


It has been confirmed to be a rollback accident.

Some rumors from purported insiders (so fully unverified, but at a very light glance plausible) seem to indicate that power to the OHL went out while the tram was stopped to let protesters through at the top of the ramp.

The service brake disengaged due to the lack of traction and the incline made the rollback happen.

blimey!

 

[signed]

Collision de tramways à Strasbourg : la rame n’avait pas de système bloquant un retour en arrière

La rame qui a provoqué l’accident de tramway ayant fait 68 blessés, ce samedi, à Strasbourg n’avait pas de système de sécurité l’empêchant de repartir en arrière, a-t-on appris lundi. Mais l’origine du dysfonctionnement reste encore inconnue.

www.letelegramme.fr

---

[...]
la rame « devait repartir et faire une sorte de démarrage en côte, ce qu’il n’a pas réussi à faire », a détaillé, sur Ici Alsace, le directeur général de la Compagnie des transports strasbourgeois (CTS), Emmanuel Auneau.

The tram "should have left from the stop and do some kind of hill start, which it failed to do"

told the COO of the transport company

---

« La rame qui est descendue n’était pas équipée. c’est une rame qui date des années 2000, et ce système n’existait pas à l’époque », a déclaré le directeur général. Toutefois, « elle est tout à fait conforme et homologuée pour circuler sur le réseau », a-t-il dit.
Les rames plus récentes fournies par le constructeur Alstom sont équipées de ce dispositif, a-t-il ajouté.

The tram that rolled back wasn't equipped with a rollback protection system, since it was built in the 2000s and those systems didn't exist.

It was however fully conformant and homologated to run on the network
The newer Alstom stock is equipped with rollback protection

---

« Ni les freins de secours, ni rien n’a fonctionné, donc on a beaucoup de mal à comprendre ce qui s’est passé », a, de son côté, déclaré à l’AFP le président de la CTS, Patrick Maciejewski.

Nothing, including the emergency brake worked, so we have a hard time understanding what happened.

told the company's CEO

 

[signed]

All of the 2 damaged sets have been extracted from the tunnel now. The operator expects a return to through running to not be before at least the end of Feburary

 

[Gostav]

All of the 2 damaged sets have been extracted from the tunnel now. The operator expects a return to through running to not be before at least the end of Feburary

Hmm, it seems not much infrastructure damaged, so why did they need to shut it down for so long?

 

[stuving]

BEA-TT have produced a fact sheet on this accident and their investigation of it (as this PDF). Here's Google's translation of the narrative section, tidied up a bit:

The facts

On Saturday, January 11, 2025, at around 3:15 p.m., a tram came to a stop between the "Gare Centrale" and "Les Halles" stations, on the tunnel exit ramp, on a 7% slope. Demonstrations in downtown Strasbourg affected the running of the trams and many were concentrated in the area, particularly on the section concerned, shared by lines A and D.

As it was preparing to restart, the tram began to roll back for an unknown reason. It then traveled through the tunnel down the slope, against the flow of normal traffic, picking up speed. After several hundred meters, it was halted by a collision with another tram which was stopped at the platform at Gare Centrale station.

There were many passengers in both trams. The accident involved 131 people, including 68 slightly injured.

The material damage is significant, particularly to the structure of the trams (front ends, connections between the bodies, etc.).

The two trams are Citadis from the manufacturer Alstom, in service for just under 20 years.

A judicial investigation has been opened. The parameter recorder is in their possession as are the videos from the trams. The BEA-TT will have access to all the information.

This little map is included.

In the PDF there is an arrow from the tunnel mouth, round the sharp bend, and on to the Gare Centrale stop - that did not copy with the graphic.

 

[signed]

Hmm, it seems not much infrastructure damaged, so why did they need to shut it down for so long?

Testing probably, the operator to indicate that it needs to undertake both its own testing and the homologation by the government

https://www.cts-strasbourg.eu/export/sites/default/pdf/07LaCTS/CP-24012025-Accident-du-11-janvier-Sortie-du-tunnel-de-la-2e-rame-et-conditions-de-reprise.pdf

CTS teams will then set about finalizing the restoration of the tunnel's infrastructure, followed by checks on the various operating and safety systems.
and safety systems. These operations will take several days to complete.
Statutory inspections will then be carried out by the government departments responsible for
of French tramway networks. The reopening of the tunnel
only after authorization from the Prefecture.
The time required for each of these stages is not known. However, a return to normal conditions is unlikely before the end of the upcoming school vacations [ends on Feb 24th].

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

[signed]

As expected, the running in the tunnel is set to restart this Sunday Feburary 23th

Accident de tram à Strasbourg : le trafic va reprendre dans le tunnel sous la gare dès ce dimanche - ici

La CTS, la compagnie des transports strasbourgeois, confirme ce vendredi la reprise du trafic des trams dans le tunnel sous la gare de Strasbourg à partir de ce dimanche 23 février, après six semaines d'arrêt suite à l'accident survenu le samedi 11 janvier.

www.francebleu.fr

Good news for streetcar users in Strasbourg. Streetcar traffic will resume as of Sunday February 23 in the tunnel under the station, CTS, the Strasbourg transport company, confirmed on Friday. Traffic had been at a standstill since the accident on Saturday, January 11. The CTS has received a letter signed by the Prefect authorizing the resumption of operations.
Traffic resumes on Sunday at 4:30 a.m.

Lines A and D will resume service from 4:30 a.m. this Sunday. In a press release, the CTS stated that it had “taken all the necessary measures to ensure that the circumstances observed at the time of the accident are not repeated”.

The company's management mentioned strict, supervised maintenance checks on all tram braking systems, and daily tests carried out on each tram by its drivers. The streetcar will not be able to leave the Gare Centrale station unless the Ancienne Synagogue-les Halles station is free. The CTS will also systematically request that demonstrations do not use the tramway tracks in the entire Grande Ile area.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

[stuving]

BEA-TT put out an immediate recommendation back on 7th February, which we missed. This was about training in the "dynamic" use of the "safety" brake, which had not been part of driver training. I've concluded that this means use of the the parking or hand brake in service, as a last resort brake when nothing else works, as opposed to its use for parking and walking away (which had been covered in training).

Train all tram drivers in the ultimate safety function of the parking brake, and its use in service, in particular with regard to Alstom Citadis rolling stock.
Monitor the effectiveness of this training of all already authorized drivers.
Integrate this use of the parking brake in service into future initial and in-service training.

(my translation)