Chenzhou train collision

Chenzhou train collision

Location within Hunan
Date	June 29, 2009
Time	02:34 CST (UTC+8)
Location	Chenzhou railway station Chenzhou, Chenzhou, Hunan
Coordinates	Coordinates: 25°48′32″N 113°01′59″E / 25.809°N 113.033°E / 25.809; 113.033
Country	China
Rail line	Beijing–Guangzhou railway
Operator	China Railways, Guangdong Railway Group
Type of incident	Derailment
Cause	under investigation
Statistics
Trains	2
Deaths	3
Injuries	60+

The Chenzhou train collision occurred on June 29, 2009, at Chenzhou railway station in Chenzhou, Hunan province, China, when two passenger trains collided, leaving at least three people dead and 63 injured.^[1] The crash occurred at 02:34 local time, between express trains numbered K9017 and K9063.^[2] A brake failure is reported to have caused the crash, although this has not been confirmed.^[3] An investigation has been launched.

Accident

The accident occurred on the conventional Beijing–Guangzhou (or Jingguang) railway. Train K9017 was an express K-class passenger train departing from Changsha, Hunan, to Shenzhen, Guangdong. At around 02:34 local time, the train pulled into Chenzhou Railway Station at speeds of over 50 km/h (31 mph), colliding sideways against train K9063 from Tongren (zh), Guizhou to Shenzhen West, which had just begun its way out of the station. The initial investigation found that K9017 sped into a turning point at the station, ignoring a red light prompting it to stop, and was travelling at a speed of 55 km/h (34 mph). The speed led the train to derail. The two train engines and six carriages went off the track. One of the cars crashed into two nearby houses, destroying the structures.

According to the electronic display boards at the station, K9063 was scheduled to enter the station at 02:12 and depart at 02:22, while K9017 was scheduled to arrive at 02:38 and depart at 02:41, meaning the trains should have entered the station at least some 15 minutes apart from each other. Passengers on the K9017 revealed that the train had initially stopped for twenty minutes before arriving at Chenzhou railway station, at around 02:00. There seemed to have been no effort from K9017 in stopping the train as it entered Chenzhou station, which was a scheduled stop. In addition, no precautions were taken by the departing K9063 train. As a result, reports have questioned the validity of the claim that there was a brake failure.^[3]

The collision left thousands of passengers stranded at the station.^[4]

Casualties

CCTV broadcast that two passengers stayed in intensive care in hospital.^[5] Forty-two other people were receiving treatment for minor injuries.^[5] Three passengers are confirmed dead from the accident. All were female; two of these were passengers and one was a woman in her dwelling at the time.^[6]

Cause

Guangdong Railways Group, the operator of the two services, has blamed the accident on brake failure. This has not yet been confirmed by the Ministry of Railways.^[5][7]

Investigation

An investigation was requested by Liang Jiakun, deputy director of the State Administration of Work Safety.^[7] The Ministry of Railways launched an investigation.^[7] There are no further details.^[7]

Reaction

Liu Zhijun, then-Minister of Railways, travelled to the area to look at the rescue operation.^[2]

References