Collision in Germany

[Wilkinstown]

Ok, thank you, the explanation is clear. Perhaps the weakness is the fact that one individual could institute degraded working without involving anybody else in the process.

[Frank]

Hello,

today the Prosecutor (Staatsanwalt ) has announced, that the Signal Man is taken in custody.
https://www.polizei.bayern.de/oberbayer ... tml/239690

The cause of the Accident should be, that the Signal Man was playing a Online Game on his Smartphone and so he lost concentration on the Duty.

If so, that is horrible for a 39-Year old man,in that Age there should be much more sense of responsibility.

[davidwoodcock]

Give someone a boring job and there will be a natural tendency for them to seek ways of alleviating that boredom.

Modern technology in a general sense presents as many problems in the workplace as alcohol or drugs, as research into the effects of using a mobile phone while driving on a road has shown, and yet the problem doesn't seem to be actively addressed, (it is, for example, illegal to use a hands-on mobile phone while driving in the UK yet the practice remains commonplace and the number of prosecutions minuscule).

It will be interesting to see what the response of the UK rail industry is - or are UK signallers already banned from possessing smartphones in the workplace?

[Fast Line Floyd]

Give someone a boring job and there will be a natural tendency for them to seek ways of alleviating that boredom.

Modern technology in a general sense presents as many problems in the workplace as alcohol or drugs, as research into the effects of using a mobile phone while driving on a road has shown, and yet the problem doesn't seem to be actively addressed, (it is, for example, illegal to use a hands-on mobile phone while driving in the UK yet the practice remains commonplace and the number of prosecutions minuscule).

It will be interesting to see what the response of the UK rail industry is - or are UK signallers already banned from possessing smartphones in the workplace?

UK signallers are not permitted to use any mobile telephone whilst on duty.

[scarpa]

The signalman involved in the collision on the single line in Germany has been given a 3 years prison sentence.

[davidwoodcock]

The signalman involved in the collision on the single line in Germany has been given a 3 years prison sentence.

Which seems incredibly lenient in the circumstances since the fatal accident resulted from his deliberate inattention to his duties.

[John Hinson]

That is not for us to decide here.

John

[Frank]

Hello,

the Chief Judge Erich Fuchs of the Distric Court in Traunstein decided it in the judgement.

From 5:11:23 Time until 6:45:59 Time on that Day he was Playing a Game on his Smartphone.....

Trapped in the Game

as the Chief Judge it describe .

At 6:47 Time both Trains collide.
Here the Press
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/b ... 24498.html

A remark to that:

Which seems incredibly lenient

No, because in Criminal Law here the past life has major influence to the penalty. Also the Judge have a view of the Civil Law that follow the
Criminal Judgement.
The Signal Man had to pay Claim for damages to the People of the Trains.

regards

Frank

[John Hinson]

All points are noted, but I am locking this thread because, as I said, this forum is not here to pass our own judgement on the levels of punishment applied.

John

[Andrew Waugh]

The November 2016 IRSE News has an article on the Bad Aibling accident: Learning from a recent accident: Bad Aibling, Peter van der Mark, pp14-5. The issue can be downloaded for free by non-members from the IRSE website http://www.irse.org/knowledge/publicirs ... 20size.pdf

It contains an excellent summary of the accident and its causes. It also considers the functions and risks of the use of the Zs-1 Ersatzsignal.

(I should acknowledge the corporate good citizenship of the IRSE. After a year, embargo they make the issues of the IRSE News readable to non-members. It's an excellent magazine if you want to have an understanding of modern signalling. The issues can be found at: http://www.irse.org/knowledge/public/ir ... chive.aspx)

[Frank]

Hello Andrew,


some things about that.

Peter van der Mark missed, that the old Rules for Zs1 had a simple but very nessary Term:

...proceed with max. 100 Km/h and on sight

This simple and on sight words are the Point.

This was elimated from the modern Private Company DB to reduce Delay of Trains.




Berlin-Wannsee was a tragic accident of the re-union of the both german states.Berlin as the former 4-Sector allied City was operated by the East-German Deutsche Reichsbahn.The Train Radio from the Reichsbahn and the Train Radio fom West-German Deutsche Bundesbahn are different System and so the Emergency Call from the Signal-Box in B-Griebnitz reach not both Trains.

[Ulf Pålsson]

The article in issue 227 of IRSE News about the Bad Aibling accident is interesting and informative. However, what is said about the Zs 1 Ersatzsignal (substitution signal) is not quite accurate. The German substitution signal Zs 1 is not a Pass on Sight aspect. The signification of Zs 1, three small white lights in the shape of an ‘A’, is: “Pass signal indication Hp 0 [‘Stop’] or a disturbed (unlit) Hautpsignal [colour light main signal, stop signal] without a written order.” (On new main signals of the Ks-type and on ex-DR lines Zs 1 is displayed as one small flashing light.) Zs 1 does not imply running on sight. Within a Bahnhof (station) or through the points at an Abzweigstelle (“junction site”) the speed is limited to 40 km/h, due to any possible points in reversed position. Also, if the Hauptsignal announces (works as a distant for) the following Hauptsignal, speed shall be kept to 40 km/h until the driver can see what is displayed from that Hauptsignal. Otherwise on the Freie Strecke (open line), there is no speed limit implied by Zs 1.

The German philosophy is: If the interlocking or automatic block for any reason is not able to check all the necessary conditions for a proceed signal indication, the signaller will do the checks instead, following all the rules and procedures established for this situation. If it cannot be determined with certainty that a previous train in the same direction has left the track or section, the signaller must issue a written order, especially instructing the driver to proceed on sight, before the Zs 1 is lit.

On sections, where there often might be difficulties to establish that the previous train has arrived to the next station with its tail signal (e.g. within large unmanned remotely controlled areas), another type of auxiliary signal, which really is a Pass on Sight signal, is used: the Zs 7 Vorsichtsignal (Caution signal), which consists of three small yellow lights in the shape on a ‘V’, which signifies: “Pass signal indication Hp 0 [‘Stop’] or a disturbed (unlit) Hautpsignal without a written order. Proceed on sight.”

[Frank]

Hello Ulf,

some to that:

The German substitution signal Zs 1 is not a Pass on Sight aspect. The signification of Zs 1, three small white lights in the shape of an ‘A’

Right, the Zs1 replace the written Order Befehl A since the 1920th to pass a Hauptsignal at Danger or with a "twice Sign" or a unlit Light Signal.
For Decades the Written Order A https://web.hs-merseburg.de/~nosske/Epo ... _3505.html
was in the Rule Book (Fahrdienstvorschrift) implemented with Speed restriction to 100 Km/h and on sight.


The

the Zs 7 Vorsichtsignal (Caution signal), which consists of three small yellow lights in the shape on a ‘V’,

was originally developed for automatic colour light Block Signals and used since the 1950th on that.

Because the supervising Signal man in the Signal Box far away had only a Display for these Signals and a Key operated switch for the Zs 7 with a counter.

Some of the original Zs 7 from the 1950th are still remain in Cologne and Hagen(Westfalen).