Rüsselsheim train disaster
 the place where the accident occurred | |
| Date | February 2, 1990 |
|---|---|
| Time | 16:45 |
| Location | Rüsselsheim, Hessen |
| Country | Germany |
| Rail line | Main Railway |
| Type of incident | Collision |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 17 |
| Injuries | 145 |
| Damage | 6 mio DM |
The Rüsselsheim train disaster occurred on February 2, 1990, on the Main Railway near the Rüsselsheim station in Germany. With 17 persons killed and 145 severely injured the train collision is amongst the most serious in rapid transit.
Account of the accident
On February 2, 1990, at 16:42 the regular train of the Rhine-Main S-Bahn entered the Rüsselsheim station. The mass rapid transit DB Class 420 train was on its way from Mainz to Frankfurt on the S14 line. The station is secured with distant signals before the station platforms and stop signals after the station platforms technically enforced by Indusi inductors. The train driver acknowledged the warning of the distant signal (1000 Hz Indusi) but after dispatching the train in daily routine he had forgotten about it.
A second DB Class 420 train was oncoming from Frankfurt however in contrast to daily routine another train was already on the regular platform so the train was diverted to another platform at the other side of the station requiring the train to cross the track of the first train some way before the station. Both trains were fully packed during rush hour with an estimate of 500 passengers per train.
Although the main signal was on stop a few hundred meters after the station the driver accelerated quickly on leaving the station. The regular speed of S-Bahn trains is about 80 km/h and the powerful trains can attain that easily. Although both trains had activated the emergency brake—also enforced by an automated train stop (2000 Hz Indusi) on the main signal—the collision occurred at a speed estimated to be about 40 to 70 km/h for both trains. The collision was so intense that one of the control cars was lifted upright into the air then falling to the side on a nearby car park.
Aftermath
The train driver was convicted to ten months on probation and a penalty of 2500 Deutschmark; he never drove trains again. The train porter dispatching the train was not convicted as he had the sole duty to ensure that all doors are closed.
The traditional Indusi train protection system does not enforce any speed restrictions. With the stop signal put at a braking distance the safety overlap depends on an assumed maximum speed and weight of the train. Although operation regulations imposed a maximum speed after a distant signal warning it was not enforced. The train disaster led to the extension and rollout of PZB90 - in the final modernisation program of 1995 the Deutsche Bahn equipped 10,000 trains with it (1000 Hz Indusi enforcing a maximum of 45 km/h) and more than 10,000 additional speed restrictions were installed (500 Hz Indusi enforcing a maximum of 25 km/h). All trains in Germany were required to be equipped with PZB90 by 1998.
External links
- Information about the accident on et420-online.de
- Report about the accident on the website of the newspaper Darmstädter Echo
- Newspaper article: „Ein schwarzer Tag für Rüsselsheim“ on the website of Allgemeinen Zeitung Mainz of January 30, 2010
- Information about the accident on the website of the newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau
- Experience report form a participating reliever from Technisches Hilfswerk about the accident
Coordinates: 49°59′37″N 8°25′16″E / 49.993588°N 8.421224°E