Leuven rail accident caused by excess speed

The accident that saw a train derailing outside Leuven station last month, killing one passenger and injuring 27, was caused by excess speed, according to the Leuven prosecutor’s office. The accident happened on the afternoon of 18 February, as the train was leaving Leuven on its way to De Panne.

The train derailed, and the front carriage tipped over. Train traffic was disrupted on the busy rail – which travels through Brussels – for a week as the wreckage was removed and repairs carried out to tracks and overhead cables.

The Leuven prosecutor’s office appointed an investigating magistrate to look into the cause of the accident, and a rail expert was called in. According to the report, the train passed the second set of points on leaving the station at a speed of 100 km/h, at a point where the maximum speed is 40 km/h, as indicated by signs.

The driver of the train said he was convinced the limit was 90 km/h, suggesting he may not have seen the signs, according to the report. He also said that he braked as soon as he saw the points where he was not expecting them, but it was too late.

The driver has been on leave since the accident; a decision regarding sanctions will be taken later by the prosecutor, once the full investigation is complete.

SNCB is currently outfitting its infrastructure with the European Train Control System (ETCS), which has an automatic braking system and communicates signals to the driver inside the train digitally, eliminating the need to be aware of external signals next to the rails. The train involved in the latest accident has not yet been fitted with ETCS.

“The accident could have been avoided if the train had been fitted with ETCS”, said Flemish rail specialist Herman Welter. Currently some one-third of trains in the country are using the system. It is expected to be present in all trains by 2022.

Photo: Belga