Wenzhou train collision

Wenzhou train collision
After the collision, four cars of the rear train fell off the Ou River bridge, striking the ground more than 20 m (66 ft) below
Details
Date	Saturday, 23 July 2011 20:34 CST (UTC+08:00)
Location	Lucheng District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang
Coordinates	28°00′42″N 120°35′22″E / 28.01167°N 120.58944°E / 28.01167; 120.58944
Country	China
Line	Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Railway Part of Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen PDL
Operator	China Railway High-speed
Incident type	Collision, derailment
Cause	Railway signal failure[1]
Statistics
Trains	2
Passengers	1,630
Deaths	40[2]
Injured	192+

v t e Yongtaiwen Railway
Legend
Simplified
km Hangyong PDL to Hangzhou East & Xiaoyong Railway to Hangzhou South Ningbo East 0 Yongjia direction of D301 and D3115 Ou River Jinwen Railway 14 site of collision 18 Wenzhou South Wenfu Railway to Fuzhou and Fuzhou South

The Wenzhou train collision was a railway accident that occurred on 23 July 2011, when a high-speed train travelling on the Yong-Tai-Wen railway line collided into the rear of another stationary train on a viaduct in Lucheng District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The two trains derailed, and four carriages fell off the viaduct.^[3] 40 people were killed,^[2] and at least 192 were injured, 12 severely.^[4] This disaster was caused by both defects in railway signal design and poor management by the railway company.^[5]

The collision is the only fatal crash involving high-speed rail (HSR) in China, and is the third-deadliest HSR accident in history, after the 1998 Eschede train disaster in Germany and 2013 Santiago de Compostela derailment in Spain. High speed was not a factor in the accident, however, since neither train was moving faster than 99 km/h (62 mph), a moderate speed for a passenger train.

Local officials responded to the accident by hastily conducting rescue operations and ordering the on-site burial of the derailed carriages, allegedly with victims of the accident still inside the carriages.^[6] These actions elicited strong criticism from Chinese media and online communities. In response, the government issued directives to restrict media coverage, which was met with limited compliance, even on state-owned networks.

The accident had a profound impact on the development of high-speed rail in China. Public confidence in high-speed rail eroded, resulting in fewer passengers using the service for a short time. Construction of high-speed rail lines in China was temporarily suspended while the accident was under investigation. Speeds on other major high-speed rail lines in China were reduced until improvements were made. China's reputation in high-speed railway technology was scrutinized internationally.

In response to the accident, railways minister Sheng Guangzu announced a comprehensive two-month railway safety review. The official investigation completed in December 2011 blamed faulty signal systems which failed to warn the second train of the stationary first train on the same track, as well as a series of management failures on the part of railway officials in carrying out the due procedure.

The accident led to the implementation of substantial safety improvements, which has so far helped to prevent any further accidents in China's high-speed rail network.^[7]