Dudelange train collision

The 2017 Dudelange train collision occurred on the morning of 14 February 2017, near the town of Dudelange in Luxembourg, on the CFL Line 60 between Bettembourg and the French border. Two trains, a regional passenger train operated by the Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) and a freight train operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium, collided head-on after the driver of the Luxembourgish train failed to slow in time for a signal displaying a stop aspect. The driver of the passenger train died and two others were injured.^[1][2]

The trains involved were a class 2200 electric multiple unit travelling from Luxembourg to Thionville, and a freight train consisting of two class 13 electric locomotives and 27 empty freight carriages.

That morning the passenger train had left Luxembourg station at 8:29, running 2 minutes late, on a journey to Thionville in France. At 8:42 it made a scheduled stop at Bettembourg, where all passengers disembarked before the train continued towards the French border.

The freight train had left Thionville that morning at 8:31, as part of a journey between Strasbourg to La Louvière.

At 8:44 the passenger train passed a caution signal approximately 1.5 km from the site of the collision. At that point the train was travelling at 123 km/h, and did not reduce its speed. It then passed another caution signal while traveling at 131 km/h. The driver had applied the train's brakes about two seconds earlier, 100m from the signal.

The freight train was crossing the tracks to enter the Bettembourg marshalling yard, having been given priority.

At 8:45 the freight train driver saw the approaching passenger train and ran out of the locomotive to take cover, seconds before the two trains collided. At the point of impact the passenger train was travelling at 85 km/h and the freight train at 41 km/h.

The driver of the passenger train was killed instantly and a member of its crew sustained minor injuries. The driver of the freight train was seriously injured.

La locomotora principal del tren de mercancías absorbió la mayor parte de la energía del impacto y quedó completamente destruida, al igual que la locomotora principal del tren de pasajeros. Las unidades restantes del tren de pasajeros, así como la segunda locomotora y cinco de los vagones de mercancías, sufrieron graves daños, mientras que otros seis vagones resultaron levemente dañados. La unidad múltiple y las dos locomotoras del tren de mercancías fueron declaradas pérdida total tras el accidente. La infraestructura también sufrió daños considerables, y fue necesario reemplazar casi todas las vías y el equipo de señalización. ^{[ 3 ]}

• La colisión de trenes de Zoufftgen , que ocurrió en 2006 en el mismo tramo de vías e involucró de manera similar a una unidad de tren eléctrico Clase 2200 y un tren de carga.