Harmelen train disaster

The railway accident Harmelen January 8, 1962 was head-on collision between two trains and the worst railway accident in the history of the Netherlands. 93 people died.

Starting position

In Harmelen branches of the railway line Utrecht -Rotterdam to Amsterdam from a distance. This happened at the same level, so that over the course of the track opposite direction had to be crossed.

This morning there was fog. Just before 9 clock reached 20 a formed of two sets of electric trains of about 75 km / h was traveling from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, the branch. Countermoves, approaching from the direction of Utrecht, he was met by a " stop" signal at danger.

Circumstances of the accident

The branch approached at the same time a drawn out by an electrical locomotive express train with 100 km / h Meanwhile locomotive engineer overlooked - probably because of the fog - the " expect stop " pointing distant signal, only the " stop" pointing main signal he perceived. Although immediately initiated emergency braking could still reduce the speed a bit, but not prevent the head-on collision. In both trains together were about 500 travelers.

Follow

In the head-on collision six vehicles of the railcar and three passenger cars of the express train were smashed. 93 people died, including both train drivers, 54 were also injured.

After the accident was at the Nederlandse Spoorwegen accelerates an automatic train control system, the automatic treinbeïnvloeding installed (ATB), which automatically triggers an emergency brake in such situations. The branch was later rebuilt without crossing with an overpass of the previously intersecting route.

On 8 January 2012 - 50 years after the accident - was by Pieter van Vollenhoven, the husband of Princess Margriet of Orange- Nassau, inaugurated in Harmelen a memorial to the victims. Between the two black pillars which bear the names of the 93 fatalities, the view opens up to the accident site on a torso that represents the victims.