On 5 June 2024, at 10:49 p.m., a train collision in Pardubice, Czech Republic occurred in the vicinity of Pardubice main railway station, near the Pardubice centrum station.[1][2] Express train number RJ 1021 of the RegioJet company heading from Prague to Košice (3 cars should continue as RJ 1222 to Chop) collided with freight express train number Nex 41340 of the railway operator ČD Cargo.[3][4] Subsequently, both trains derailed and as a result of the crash, four people died and another 22 were injured.[1][2][4]
| Pardubice train collision | |
|---|---|
 Damaged first coach of RegioJet, a day after the collision | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 5 June 2024 22:49 CEST |
| Location | Pardubice, Pardubice Region |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Line | Prague–Česká Třebová railway |
| Operator | RegioJet ČD Cargo |
| Incident type | Head-on collision |
| Cause | under investigation |
| Statistics | |
| Passengers | 300+ |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Injured | 22 |
| List of Czech rail accidents | |
Over 300 people were traveling in the express train. The freight train was carrying calcium carbide, but the first two cars were empty.[2]
Background
edit
Pardubice is situated on one of the most important railway corridors in the Czech Republic, specifically on the Prague to Česká Třebová, and as such is used by trains heading towards Ostrava, Brno, Vienna, Budapest, Košice and Warsaw (eastbound) and towards Prague, Plzeň and Dresden (westbound), among many others. Starting from 2021, the station underwent a major reconstruction program, the largest of its kind in over 60 years, which involved adding European Train Control System (ETCS), track remodelling works and the replacement of all adjacent infrastructure. By 2024 most of the works were finished but the ETCS system was not planned to be turned on until January 2025, and the previous MIREL safety system had also been turned off, therefore according to Czech railway regulations, drivers had to follow the signal aspects and travel at no faster than 100 km/h.[5]
The first train was RJ 1021 from Praha hlavní nádraží to Košice, with three through cars to Chop, Ukraine. The train was exclusively made up of couchette cars and regular first and second class cars. On the night of the crash, it was pulled by a Bombardier Traxx MS3 locomotive.[6] The freight train (number Nex 41340) was pulled by a ČD Class 363.5 locomotive, number 363 529-9 followed by several flat wagons with containers.
Reactions
editTransport Minister Martin Kupka and Interior Minister Vít Rakušan visited the scene of the crash.[7] Prime Minister Petr Fiala described the collision as a great tragedy and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
References
edit- ^ a b "Srážka vlaků v Pardubicích". Rail Safety Inspection Office. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "V Pardubicích se srazily vlaky. Zemřeli čtyři lidé, zraněných je přes dvacet". ČT24. Czech Television. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Skoupý, Tomáš; Jaňurek, Pavel; Žlábková, Ludmila; Burian, Václav (5 June 2024). "V Pardubicích se srazil rychlík s nákladním vlakem. Čtyři mrtví". Novinky.cz. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ a b Sůra, Jan (5 June 2024). "V Pardubicích se srazily expres RegioJetu s nákladním vlakem, čtyři cestující zemřeli". Zdopravy.cz. ISSN 2570-7868. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Sůra, Jan (5 June 2024). "Po miliardové rekonstrukci je v Pardubicích horší zabezpečení. Tvoříme nebezpečné prostředí, říká školitel". ISSN 2570-7868. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Train compositions 2024; RJ 1021 "RegioJet"". vagonweb.cz. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Czech train crash kills four, injures more than 20". Reuters. 5 June 2024.