CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night’s Computer graphics made this train catastrophe look like a video game

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As an avid fan of transportation history and a student of human error, I find the documentary “Why Trains Crash” both intriguing and disheartening. The story of William Huskisson, the unfortunate British MP who lost his life in the world’s first recorded railway disaster, serves as a chilling reminder that rail accidents are an age-old problem with deep roots.

Why Trains Crash (BBC 1)

At Liverpool’s St James’s Cemetery, you can find a memorial for the Conservative parliamentarian, William Huskisson, who tragically lost his life in a famous dual rail catastrophe.

In 1830, Huskisson, a former cabinet minister and the Leader of Commons, rode on the Northumbrian steam train during the inauguration of the Manchester and Liverpool railway. Impulsively, he leapt off his carriage to engage the Duke of Wellington in conversation by the train tracks.

He lost his footing and couldn’t scramble away in time, resulting in being hit by Stephenson’s Rocket.

David Brook, a carpenter, preceded him as the unfortunate victim in railway history, according to Guinness World Records. In 1821 near Leeds, Brook made a fateful decision to shorten his journey home during a storm by walking on the tracks of the Middleton Railway. Unfortunately, this choice proved disastrous.

All this goes to show that railway accidents have been happening as long as railways have existed. 

In the one-hour documentary “Why Trains Derail” for the global “This World” series, it was found that the reasons behind train crashes are generally similar in most incidents.

Humans often make mistakes, especially when it comes to signaling. Additionally, outdated or malfunctioning equipment contributes to errors a significant number of times.

The report centred on a horrific incident last year in Odisha, India. 

On the eastern coast of India, between Kolkata and Bangalore, there was a tragic incident involving three trains resulting in the deaths of 296 people and over 800 injuries.

A fast-moving, intercity train collided with stationary freight cars during its 25-hour trip, causing it to skid and obstruct the path of an oncoming express train.

As a diligent observer, I once came across an intriguing situation during an investigation. It turned out that the signals at a railroad crossing had inexplicably become connected to the level crossing mechanisms. Consequently, whenever the barriers went up, the trains’ tracks would unexpectedly move as well.

A few eyewitnesses, among them a man whose father had perished, shared their experiences, albeit their narratives lacked the intensity or excitement of the events they went through.

In a calm tone, a man stated that, holding onto the window frame as the train continued moving despite him, he believed he might have met his end, yet chose to cling on nonetheless.

As I watched snippets of news coverage throughout the harrowing night and into the next day, it became clear just how extensive the damage was. However, these brief clips did not fully convey the magnitude of the disaster. Instead, we were shown vivid computer-generated images that oddly resembled a scene from a video game rather than a real-life tragedy.

The commentary mentioned overcrowding as an issue, yet it didn’t delve into the severity of this factor in the tragic loss of lives. No definitive data was provided, such as the number of individuals who perished from the impact versus those who succumbed to suffocation due to the pileup of bodies.

In passing, the BBC reported incidents of traffic accidents in Greece, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, they highlighted climate change as yet another frequent occurrence of concern.

At least global warming can’t be blamed for the death of poor old William Huskisson.

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2024-07-19 16:19