Much of the world was shaken up by an IT outage on the morning of Friday 19 July. A faulty security update from software company…
Category: Human interest
Freight train hits passenger train in India: 15 dead and dozens injured
A freight train collided with a stationary passenger train in India on Monday, 17 June, causing 15 deaths and injuring nearly 60 more. The main cause of the accident seems to be driver error the freight train conductor ignored a signal. Among the victims, were the freight train driver and a guard from the passenger…
Czechia: 4 passengers dead in collision involving freight train
A fatal collision between a passenger and a freight train in Czechia resulted in four passengers losing their lives and dozens being injured. The head-on collision occurred between a RegioJet and a CD Cargo train on the east of Prague, near Parduvice. The line where the accident occurred was not equipped with ETCS, which could…
Demonstration in Paris to save rail freight ‘for the planet and jobs’
A demonstration will be held in Paris today, Tuesday, 28 May, to save rail freight “for the planet and jobs.” The protest is being staged by a platform grouping labour unions, Sud Rail, environmental protection and social justice associations, the Alliance Ecologique et Sociale, and Alternatiba Paris. The demonstration focuses on the impact of the…
Freight wagons in northern Italy knocked over by strong winds
For the second year in a row, the month of May is bringing waves of bad weather in northern Italy which disrupt the country’s rail freight industry. A few wagons of a convoy near Borgo Mantovano, a town between Verona and Bologna, was knocked over by the strong winds. “I have never seen freight trains…
Do EU citizens know what’s at stake with the EU’s transport policies?
The rail industry has vehemently opposed the Commission’s Weights and Dimensions Directive (WDD), which would allow gigaliners or mega trucks to dominate the European transport sector price-wise and capacity-wise. Apart from the industry, however, such policies also concern the public, considering they could heavily impact life quality in many ways. Is the European public aware…
GBRf Locomotive named after reluctant hero signalman
The UK avoided a freight disaster forty years ago, thanks to a brilliant, but modest signalman. Commemoration has been made for the quick thinking and potentially life saving actions of Willie Taylor. On the fortieth anniversary of his actions, Carlisle Signalman Willie Taylor has been honoured with a locomotive named in his memory at Carlisle…
French Minister to summon SNCF chief over early retirement deal
France’s Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Bruno Le Maire, is to summon SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, to a meeting to explain the signing of an ‘early retirement’ agreement with the four main labour unions at the state railways which he believes circumvents a 2023 French reform law. The agreement, signed at the end of last…
French Minister to summon SNCF chief over early retirement deal
France’s Finance and Economic Affairs minister, Bruno Le Maire, is to summon SNCF chief, Jean-Pierre Farandou, to a meeting to explain the signing of an ‘early retirement’ agreement with the four main labour unions at the state railways which he believes circumvents a 2023 French reform law. The agreement, signed at the end of last…
Greek railway accident: more evidence surface over ‘lost container’
The investigation into the fatal railway accident involving a passenger and freight train in Greece a year ago continues on three fronts. Some of the most critical findings currently concern the notorious ‘lost wagon/container’ that was not registered as part of the freight train service but was allegedly carrying illegal cargo, specifically dangerous chemical substances…