On Saturday the high-speed German ICE train slammed into a flock of sheep in a tunnel near the city of Fulda. The train derailed and stopped after another mile. This happened in the longest German tunnel, 10km! I've heard some people were hurt, a few seriously. They said it was luck that the train derailed in a tunnel. The cars bounced at the wall and were guided. Train speed over 200 kilometres an hour, four cars derailed. Wolfgang
This is what worries me about the high speed trains. Derailments can be catastrophic. Those people must have been lucky for that tunnel... Boxcab E50
Very sorry to hear that. I assumed measures had been taken to prevent livestock from trespassing onto dedicated high speed lines like ICE, TGV, etc.?
You would think something the size of a sheep when hit at speed would just explode. I can't even imagine the noise and chaos the passengers had to go through bouncing around a tunnel.
Now they're investigating. The flock was a few hundreds meter downhill of the tunnel. The shepherd said he has controlled the fence. And it was said sheep would not go uphill. A big question. Wolfgang
Perhaps the derailment itself was in part, or all, caused by an emergency brake application? Boxcab E50
I think this video is of the ICE crash aftermath http://24ur.com/novice/crna-kronika/iztirili-zaradi-ovc.html
IN the news they told the line will not be used perhaps until weekend.They have to build / repair the track, catenary and also tunnel walls. Wolfgang
I'm surprised I have not seen more news here on this. Do we know who many were hurt during the wreck? :tb-err: :tb-err: :tb-err: :tb-err:
Now if they put similar guard rail systems around railroad infrastructure or like big bathtubs with rails down inside the train woul dhave a natural controlled stop - hence like this tunnel- which would keep the train moving until it stopped safely. Makes Subways look nice. But how about across the nation???
