HIGH-SPEED rail services between Spain's largest two cities and France have been snapped up by half a million passengers in less than nine months, reveals the transport board.
Barcelona train crash may have been caused by 'distraction', say investigators, who rule out speeding and mechanical faults
29/07/2017
INVESTIGATORS into the Barcelona train crash which left 56 injured – not 54, as previously reported – hint that 'distraction' may have been responsible for the convoy ramming into the platform barrier.
Traces on the track, and the discovery that the brake was pressed down, show that the outer suburban or Cercanías line was not going too fast.
The fact that the brakes were on actually prevented a much more serious crash that could have ended in tragedy, engineers say.
In the end, 12 people remain in hospital, only one seriously injured, but not life-threateningly so.
The patient is said to be male and has a chest injury.
All the mechanical and technical servicing and checks on the train were up to date, the last one having taken place on July 18, and the driver showed negative results for drugs and alcohol tests, which are automatically carried out on any transport or private vehicle driver following a serious accident.
In this case, the driver, aged 31, had seven years' experience.
Catalunya's regional minister for land, infrastructure and sustainability, Josep Rull, says the braking process did not start early enough, meaning the train was unable to stop in time before it hit the dead end, but that if it had occurred any later or not at all, the accident could have resulted in several deaths.
National government minister for public works, Íñigo de la Serna, confirmed all servicing and maintenance requirements were fully complied with.
Both De la Serna and Rull say it is 'too early' to confirm exactly what happened, and warned against any possible speculation which may cast shadows on the driver's good name and professionalism, or on the safety of Barcelona rail services.
“Going forward, the various parties involved – rail board RENFE, rail infrastructure body ADIF, the Catalunya regional government, the Mossos d'Esquadra [Catalunya's answer to the Guardia Civil] and the fire brigade – will be working together to collect all the pieces of evidence in order to deliver a primary hypothesis of the cause,” Rull told reporters.
Investigators from the Mossos d'Esquadra are said to be analysing the content of the train's black box.
The crash happened on the Cercanías R2 South line at Francia station in Barcelona's outer metropolitan area, and the driver was one of those injured, suffering multiple wounds and said to be in a state of shock.
Photograph by the Civil Protection unit in Barcelona
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INVESTIGATORS into the Barcelona train crash which left 56 injured – not 54, as previously reported – hint that 'distraction' may have been responsible for the convoy ramming into the platform barrier.
Traces on the track, and the discovery that the brake was pressed down, show that the outer suburban or Cercanías line was not going too fast.
The fact that the brakes were on actually prevented a much more serious crash that could have ended in tragedy, engineers say.
In the end, 12 people remain in hospital, only one seriously injured, but not life-threateningly so.
The patient is said to be male and has a chest injury.
All the mechanical and technical servicing and checks on the train were up to date, the last one having taken place on July 18, and the driver showed negative results for drugs and alcohol tests, which are automatically carried out on any transport or private vehicle driver following a serious accident.
In this case, the driver, aged 31, had seven years' experience.
Catalunya's regional minister for land, infrastructure and sustainability, Josep Rull, says the braking process did not start early enough, meaning the train was unable to stop in time before it hit the dead end, but that if it had occurred any later or not at all, the accident could have resulted in several deaths.
National government minister for public works, Íñigo de la Serna, confirmed all servicing and maintenance requirements were fully complied with.
Both De la Serna and Rull say it is 'too early' to confirm exactly what happened, and warned against any possible speculation which may cast shadows on the driver's good name and professionalism, or on the safety of Barcelona rail services.
“Going forward, the various parties involved – rail board RENFE, rail infrastructure body ADIF, the Catalunya regional government, the Mossos d'Esquadra [Catalunya's answer to the Guardia Civil] and the fire brigade – will be working together to collect all the pieces of evidence in order to deliver a primary hypothesis of the cause,” Rull told reporters.
Investigators from the Mossos d'Esquadra are said to be analysing the content of the train's black box.
The crash happened on the Cercanías R2 South line at Francia station in Barcelona's outer metropolitan area, and the driver was one of those injured, suffering multiple wounds and said to be in a state of shock.
Photograph by the Civil Protection unit in Barcelona
Related Topics
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