Ursus rail crash
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2014) |
Ursus rail crash (Polish: Katastrofa kolejowa w Ursusie) was a major accident, which occurred at 6:20 a.m. on 20 August 1990 near the Warszawa Ursus railway station on the western part of Polish capital in which 16 people died and 43 were injured.
Ursus rail crash | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | 20 August 1990 6:20 am |
Location | near Warszawa Ursus railway station |
Country | Poland |
Line | Warszawa Zachodnia - Katowice |
Operator | Polish State Railways |
Cause | Signal fault |
Statistics | |
Trains | |
Deaths | 16 |
Injured | 43 |
Accident
At 6:20 am, InterExpress no. 41008 Silesia from
From circa 80 passengers travelling in the last carriage of Szklarska's train,
Investigation and aftermath
Two commissions: one from Scientific Railroading Institute and Regional Laboratory of Automatic and another formed by members of National Labour Inspectorate never ruled with 100% certainty whether Mościcki passed signal at danger indeed or it was malfunction of signalling.
According to driver of train from Szklarska Poręba, block signal no. 94 showed a red signal, which orders to stop; however, because it was an
One year after the accident, a similar dangerous situation as in 1990 has happened on the same line, but accident was avoided due to good visibility at the time. The cause was determined to be signal fault.[3] Eventually, Silesia driver was found not guilty of the accident because of lack of evidence that signal had a red aspect ("all stop" signal) which would inform that there would be a train on preceding rail block ("in dubio pro reo" rule – "when in doubt, for the accused"). He never returned to work in PKP.
References
- ^ Baza Kolejowa: Rozkład Polska 1990-1991, Str. 938-939, Tab. 8 (in Polish)
- ^ Baza Kolejowa: Rozkład Polska 1990-1991, Str. 938-939, Tab. 8 (in Polish)
- ^ Jonasz Przybyszewski, 25 godzina. Katastrofa kolejowa pod Otłoczynem (in Polish), Toruń: Time Marszałek Group, 2020, p. 157, 163–164.
External links
Sources
- J. Reszka, "Cześć, giniemy! Największe katastrofy w powojennej Polsce", wyd. PAP, 2001