Are train accidents common?

Question

Are train accidents common?

Answer 1

no

Answer 2

No, they are as few and far between as aircraft crashes. It is safer to travel by air and rail, than it is by car.

Answer 3

In third world countries, yes.

Answer 4

Wow.

Everyone is all over the place on this one.

Derailments occur every day.  They just don't make the headlines unless very serious.  In yards, poorly maintained industrial leads, and other switching operations, etc., one is probably happening as you read this.

In the US, they are not even reportable to the Federal Railroad Administration unless over a certain dollar amount or result in the release of Hazmat, so only the significant ones draw any attention.

But you can rest assured, somewhere there is a pair of "Butterfly" or "Buddha" re-railing frogs being used right now...

Serious derailments and collisions are few in number.  I do not include grade crossing accidents in this category, however.  Grade crossing fatalities are a very close second or third only to drunk driving in the number of lives claimed each year.

It is interesting commentary, however, that the same people who wouldn't dream of pulling into the path of a fast moving, 40 ton semi-truck will gladly pull around crossing gates into the path of a 10,000 + ton freight train, or a commute train clicking along at 90 to 125 MPH.

Answer 5

Train accidents are never the fault of the railroad or its crew? Are you kidding? How do you explain wrecks involving remote control equipment? Or worker fatalities in general, when the public is not involved? Railroad employees do cause accidents. It's foolish to blame the ignorant public for everything.

Answer 6

train vs auto/pedestrian.  very common. happens every 35 min in US

Answer 7

Depends on how many times you plan to stop you car on the railways and then how often you plan to have a train disobey the speed limits, which unlike the roads, it is a bad thing to do.

Answer 8

They very common especially with high speed one such as Metrolink

Very once in while in California it almost seem the metrolink de-railed...

Usually car thing they can out beat the train by going faster when the gates come down. There is so much traffic during rush hour that starts at about 3:00pm Pacific Standard Time

Answer 9

No, actually they are NOT common although they are very noticable and newsworthy so you hear about every one.

A hundred motorists can be killed in a year and you wont hear about except in passing.

One person hurt in a derailment will grab headlines across the country for a month.

Train travel is much safer per passenger mile than highway travel, you are much more endangered in the cab ride to the train station than on the train.

If you are asking about freight train incidents, they are more or less commonplace but the vast majority are of a small nature, more like fender benders in a parking lot.

Hazardous material spills happen more in truck transportation than train but ten one thousand gallon spills will not get as much media attention as one ten thousand gallon spill so you hear about it more.

Trans are a safe, efficient and ecologically freindly way to move people and the things that people need.

Answer 10

Yes especially on railways.

Answer 11

While here in the U.S. freight train accidents have been on the decline for years (much of which is credited to the Operation Lifesaver campaign) they are still not unusual year to year.  And yes, as Lost Soul stated, these accidents/collisions are universally almost never the fault of the train crew or railroad.

Regarding passenger train accidents, these are quite rare so you shouldn't have much to worry about regarding such.

Answer 12

Yes, alot of people and cars get hit by trains.

The train is never at fault though.

Answer 13

I was on one that derailed in 1994, not common but once was too much for me :)  I believe it was the 9th one that year for passenger trains, and it was August.  It was a combination of under-loaded mail car and a faulty wheel which broke off at high speed.

Short answer is that it is highly unlikely there will be trouble, but I consider myself d**n lucky I walked away unhurt.  I was in the last car that didn't roll over....