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Trains accidentally skipping stations

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175mph

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After reading through this: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...station-and-what-are-the-consequences.219933/ I was wondering if anyone here has either ever been on a train that overshot a station or been on a station platform and witnessed a train overshoot anywhere outside of the UK?

Would also be interesting to know how common (or uncommon) such occurrences are in Japan, seeing as how they push themselves to run everything to pin sharp perfection.
 
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The exile

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After reading through this: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...station-and-what-are-the-consequences.219933/ I was wondering if anyone here has either ever been on a train that overshot a station or been on a station platform and witnessed a train overshoot anywhere outside of the UK?

Would also be interesting to know how common (or uncommon) such occurrences are in Japan, seeing as how they push themselves to run everything to pin sharp perfection.
Several in Germany - but as the ballast is only a few inches lower than the platform not much of an issue
 

30907

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There are regular reports in German media about trains failing to call - Wolfsburg had a spate a while back.
 

Gag Halfrunt

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Would also be interesting to know how common (or uncommon) such occurrences are in Japan, seeing as how they push themselves to run everything to pin sharp perfection.

After the Amagasaki rail crash in 2005, investigators suspected that the driver, who died in the crash, had been speeding to make up for the delay after he overshot a platform and had to reverse the train to the correct position. Ten months earlier he had been reprimanded for overshooting a platform.


Drivers for JR West face financial penalties for lateness as well as being forced into harsh and humiliating retraining programs known as nikkin kyōiku (日勤教育, "dayshift education"), which include weeding and grass-cutting duties during the day.[4][5] The final report officially concluded that the retraining system was one probable cause of the crash.[6] This program consisted of severe verbal abuse, forcing the employees to repent by writing extensive reports. Also during these times, drivers were forced to perform minor tasks, particularly involving cleaning, instead of their normal jobs. Many experts saw the process of nikkin kyoiku as a punishment and psychological torture, and not as driver retraining.[2] The driver had also received a non-essential phone call from the general control station at the time he was rounding the bend.[7]
 
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DanielB

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Relatively rare in The Netherlands, cannot remember having experienced such a situation here. Not really overshooting, but have once had a train that was supposed to call additionally at Woerden after a disruption. The train did actually stop there, but it was on the through tracks instead of at the platform.

I did however once have an Arriva-train that undershot the platform at Gorinchem station, stopping with the last door next to a fence making exiting impossible. That train was already running late and was about to depart immediately, so the emergency intercom had to be used to inform the driver. (Trains on that line are Stadler GTW sets, with only one door per carriage so walking to the next door takes some time.
 

Quakkerillo

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On the 25th of June this year, my Belgian intercity Courtrai - Brussels - Welkenraedt completely skipped Ans at high speed causing people to end up in Liège-Guillemins (Driver probably was thinking he was on the Oostende-Eupen trains which do not call at Ans)
And on July 2nd, the Belgian Intercity Charleroi - Brussels - Antwerp - Essen forgot to call at Ekeren, but due to an emergency stop, they got the last set of doors still on the platform to let people out via a guard-opened door. This one surprised me, as all trains through Ekeren stop there.

Before that, I don't recall any. But suddenly twice in about a week.
 

67thave

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Once, on the Montreal Metro back in 2015. I was on a Laval-bound Orange Line train, and the first door of the first car overshot the platform at Snowdon, leading to the train simply skipping the station in the off chance anyone would try to exit through it.
 

Three-Nine

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I keep an eye on an English language Japanese news source and theres usually a couple of stories about such incidents reported a year, though its more often not so much a "skipped" stop as a failure to stop in the correct posistion on the platform (many Japanese trains stop at stations aligned with coach stop markers on the platforms).
 

JonasB

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It has happened to me once in Germany, on an ICE between Hamburg and Berlin. I was sitting in my seat, reading a book when suddenly there was an announcement from the driver. He apologized that he had forgot to stop in Ludwigslust and that anyone that planning to go there should just alight at the next station and take a train in the other direction.
 

rg177

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I've had an undershoot on the Berlin S-Bahn. Thankfully my fellow passengers were quite amused and nobody opened the doors. The driver came on to apologise then we just drew forward before continuing as normal.
 

MisterT

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Can't say anything about other countries, but in The Netherlands it happens from time to time.
I've had it almost happen myself once, after driving the Intercity service between Haarlem and Amsterdam for four times in a row. The fifth time, however, I was driving the all station service instead.
Stopping at Halfweg station can't be forgotten, because that one always has a signal at danger at the end of the platform, which clears after the level crossing has closed, but the signal at the end of the platform of Haarlem Spaarnwoude is basically always green.
I was saved by the automatic announcement that played just before the station and with an emergency brake application I managed to stop just at the end of the platform.
For all passengers wondering why the train was braking that fast, I did a small announcement ofc with a little explanation that I almost forgot to stop and my apologies.
It shows we're all humans after all :E
 

Giugiaro

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Never really happened to me in Portugal for a train to skip a call.
I did happened to be on one that overshoot the platform (it was raining heavily), but it soon reversed back to position after clearing from CTC.

It does happen quite often for trains to call at stations where they aren't supposed to, mainly due to distraction of the driver, or incorrect data on the onboard timetable.
 

158801

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It happened to me in Portugal a couple of years ago.

No idea what the station was but it was a Porto to Lisbon Alfa Pendular service. The station was closer to Porto than Lisbon. Possibly the first stop?

We whizzed through the station on what looked to be a busy platform. I reckon we overshot by maybe 0.5 miles?

To me, the driver put the train into reverse and headed back to the station (the turnaround time was far too quick for them to change ends)

If I recall correctly the delay was less than 10 minutes.
 

Pakenhamtrain

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Happens every so often down here. Often places where most trains stop but a few run express. Most of the at risk places now have signs reminding to check thier stopping conditions.
 

Giugiaro

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No idea what the station was but it was a Porto to Lisbon Alfa Pendular service. The station was closer to Porto than Lisbon. Possibly the first stop?

Probably Espinho, since that station only has two Alfas calling every day in each direction. It's easy to miss a station that you only stop, at most, 18% of the time.
 

317666

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It does happen quite often for trains to call at stations where they aren't supposed to, mainly due to distraction of the driver, or incorrect data on the onboard timetable.

That's happened to me twice in Germany. On one occasion it was a Berlin - Hannover - Cologne ICE making an unscheduled stop at Wolfsburg. Ironically, from what I gather, Wolfsburg has a reputation for drivers of ICEs forgetting to stop when it is scheduled!
 

duesselmartin

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Yes Wolfsburg is notorious for that which is esp loved in direction Berlin when they are told to change back in Berlin-Spandau. as it happended to me.
 
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