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The Rafz train crash occurred at approximately 6.43 am on 20 February 2015. An
The collision occurred as the Interregio train, which was running late, was passing through Ratz without stopping. The S-Bahn train was departing for and was involved in a side-long collision, with the Interregio train coming from behind the S-Bahn train. The express was partially derailed, but the couplings held and no carriages overturned. The S-Bahn train was operated by Class 514
S-Bahn
The S-Bahn is the name of hybrid urban- suburban rail systems serving a metropolitan region in German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit systems, while smaller ones often resemble co ...
and an Interregio express train collided at Rafz railway station
Rafz is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Zürich and municipality of Rafz. The station is located on the Eglisau to Neuhausen line of the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) that crosses the international border twice on its route between the S ...
in Rafz
Rafz is a municipality in the district of Bülach in the northwest of the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Rafz was first mentioned in 1413 as ''Rafsa''.
Geography
Rafz has an area of . Of this area, 52% is used for agricultural purposes, wh ...
, Canton of Zürich
The canton of Zürich (german: Kanton Zürich ; rm, Chantun Turitg; french: Canton de Zurich; it, Canton Zurigo) is a Swiss canton in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of (as of ), it is the most populous canton in the ...
, Switzerland.
Accident
The collision occurred as the Interregio train, which was running late, was passing through Ratz without stopping. The S-Bahn train was departing for and was involved in a side-long collision, with the Interregio train coming from behind the S-Bahn train. The express was partially derailed, but the couplings held and no carriages overturned. The S-Bahn train was operated by Class 514 electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
514 046-2. The InterRegio train was hauled by Class 460 electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...
No. 460 087-0.Per this image of the damaged locomotive after the crash. The 49-year-old driver of the express was seriously injured. He was airlifted to hospital by helicopter. There were five other injuries requiring hospital treatment.
Both drivers were in training and accompanied by instructors. A passenger on the S-bahn train said he believed that his train had departed against a red signal. A bridge over a road was damaged and left in danger of collapse. A crane was brought in to recover the derailed carriages, which were then removed by road. About of track was damaged, along with a number of supports for the catenary.
Investigation
TheSwiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB, german: Schweizerische Sicherheitsuntersuchungsstelle; french: Service suisse d'enquête de securité; it, Servizio d'inchiesta svizzero sulla sicurezza) is a government agency of Swit ...
opened an investigation into the accident.
A similar accident in January 2013 at Neuhausen, on the same line, was caused by outmoded safety equipment that allowed a train to leave the station against a signal. The equipment at Rafz should in theory have prevented the 2015 crash; authorities are investigating why it did not,. and whether there are any similarities between the two accidents. The automatic braking equipment is not activated at the first signal after a train has been turned. The head of the train drivers' union suggested as a possible cause operator confusion because when Rafz station was renovated in 2011, the applicable signal was installed on the right rather than the left, where such signals are usually positioned. He proposed a rule that trains departing after a change of direction limit their initial speed to .
References
{{Authority control Railway accidents in 2015 Railway accidents and incidents in Switzerland 2015 in Switzerland Rafz Railway accidents involving a signal passed at danger February 2015 events in Switzerland 2015 disasters in Switzerland Train collisions in Europe