Near-disaster in Slovakia Express train and freight train run onto the same track - train driver narrowly avoids disaster
On a railroad line in the north of Slovakia, an express train and a freight train narrowly avoided disaster by just a few seconds.
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- An express train and a freight train narrowly avoided a head-on collision in the north of Slovakia.
- The two trains stopped on the same track only 20 to 30 meters apart.
- Investigators are now looking into possible errors in signals and traffic control.
That was a close call. Only 20 to 30 meters separate the locomotives of two trains that were traveling towards each other on the same track when they finally came to a standstill. If both had triggered the emergency brakes just seconds later, they would have crashed into each other head-on. The near-disaster happened on the line between Liptovský Mikuláš and Liptovský Hrádok.
Slovakian media, including the "Slovak Spectator" and broadcaster TA3, are unanimous in their reports. No one was injured, but traffic on the important east-west axis was blocked for hours.
According to the state railroad infrastructure company ŽSR, the freight train entered a section that was already occupied by an express train at around 11.20 a.m. on Tuesday. The express train was traveling from the capital Bratislava to Košice. Both train drivers immediately triggered emergency braking.
According to TA3, breath tests revealed a negative alcohol level in both drivers. The railroad police opened proceedings for "general endangerment" and ŽSR launched an internal investigation. The focus is on possible errors in the signal box or in traffic control.
Several incidents in recent weeks
The incident is one of a list of several dangerous incidents on the Slovakian rail network. On November 9, an express train and a regional train collided at Pezinok near Bratislava, injuring 79 people. Back in October, two express trains collided in the east of the country.
According to the "Spectator", the Ministry of Transport is now pointing out that new communication measures between rail companies and infrastructure managers would have prevented worse. Nevertheless, the question remains as to why the safety systems and traffic control did not recognize the collision course of the two trains earlier - and how reliable the network is in view of the recent incidents.