Meerbusch train crash

The Meerbusch train crash occurred on 5 December 2017 when a passenger train ran into the rear of a freight train near Meerbusch, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Fifty people were injured, nine seriously.

Meerbusch train crash
The wrecked passenger train at train accident site near Meerbusch on 8 Dec 2017
Details
Date	5 December 2017 19:30 CET (18:30 UTC)
Location	Meerbusch, North Rhine-Westphalia
Country	Germany
Line	Krefeld - Neuss line
Operator	DB Cargo National Express Germany
Incident type	Rear-end collision
Cause	Under investigation
Statistics
Trains	2
Passengers	155
Injured	50

Accident

At about 19:30 CET (18:30 UTC), a passenger train operated by National Express Germany ran into the rear of a freight train operated by DB Cargo near Meerbusch-Osterath station, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The driver of the passenger train was able to give a warning before the collision occurred.^[1] Fifty people were injured, nine seriously and three with moderate injuries.^[2][3] The train was carrying 155 passengers.^[4] The passenger train was travelling from Krefeld to Neuss. The freight train was travelling from Dillingen, Saarland to Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands.^[1] The rear three wagons of the freight train were derailed.^[2] The leading carriage of the Bombardier Talent 2 electric multiple unit which formed the passenger train was severely damaged.^[1] The rescue of passengers was hampered by fallen power cables,^[5] which were made safe by Deutsche Bahn. More than 200 firefighters assisted in the rescue efforts. The line between Düsseldorf and Krefeld was closed.^[3]

Cleanup of the accident aftermath

Investigation

The Eisenbahn-Unfalluntersuchungsstelle des Bundes (EUB) opened an investigation into the accident.^[6] It was reported that the passenger train may have incorrectly been given permission to pass a signal indicating “stop”.^[2]