[PRCo] Re: OT: Five streetcar collison in Prague

[Jim Holland]

HI!
	No pleasure is taken in the misfortune of others but this is more evidence
that they don't always get it right  'over there'  concerning transit.

	Reading beyond the the actual accident, operators of trams complain about
inferior maintenance on the equipment.

	I get tired of those who say that transit in the US doesn't hold a candle
to  'over there'  and that everything they do  'over there'  ala transit is
perfect.   There are those who say that trolley poles (for the equipment
that has them, like TCs) never dewire.   If they have accidents, the poles
dewire  --  whether or not an accident has happened.

	Yes, we need to continually look toward improving transit   ---   this is
true of  EVERY--thing in life.   But these unrealistic comparisons of 'the
grass is greener' really get old!

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [PCCstreetcar] Five streetcar collison in Prague
Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2002 15:35:12 +0000
From: bill937ca <bill937ca at ...>
Reply-To: PCCstreetcar at ...
To: PCCstreetcar at ...

	Ouch! Found this article while looking for something else.  If you go to
the links below there are two photos of the damaged cars. 

http://www.radio.cz/pictures/ctk02/tramvaje_srazka.jpg

http://www.radio.cz/pictures/ctk02/tramvaje_srazka1.jpg

	I believe these cars are PCCs or near PCC copies. Checkout the truck in
the first photo. The accident happened just over a month ago.

Bill Robb

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/29574


Tram collision in Prague leaves 18 injured  
 
[25-06-2002] By Alena Skodova Listen  
	A multiple tram collision occurred in Prague's Modrany district on Monday
morning, involving a total of 5 trams. The accident left 18 passengers
injured, some of them seriously, and has also raised questions about the
safety of Prague's aging fleet of trams. Alena Skodova has the details: 

	The spokeswoman of Prague's Transport Authority, Zuzana Knoblochova, said
the first two-carriage tram was standing at a stop while another was
arriving at the stop with a broken-down engine.   Behind these two, another
two trams were stopping for passengers when a fifth slammed full speed into
the rear of the last one. Mrs. Knoblochova said that human error was most
likely responsible, with the driver either having fallen asleep or having
been distracted. 

	The director of the Transport Authority's Tram Division, Milan Pokorny,
says this is the biggest accident he has seen during his seven years in the
job. But he says it's too early to say what caused the crash: 

	"There could have been many causes, from a simple mistake to a possible
technical defect on the tram, but to find out the real cause, a thorough
technical analysis must be carried out, and it was not possible to do it on
the spot immediately after the collision." 

	From a total of 18 injured passengers, two ended up in intensive care.
Thirteen others were taken to three Prague hospitals, some were treated on
the spot. The CTK agency reported that rescue workers had to pry some of
the injured from the mangled wreckage of the trams. 

	Officials say rain may have been a factor in the accident. Police are now
trying to determine what led to the multiple collision. The Tram System
press department told me the police investigation was still going on on
Tuesday morning, and no more details could be disclosed. 

	This was the second major tram wreck in six days in the Czech Republic.
Last week, 16 people were injured in a tram accident in the West Bohemian
city of Plzen. Some drivers told TV Nova that the older trams - which date
back to the 60s and 70s - were prone to technical failure, and one said his
brakes were unreliable. The Prague tram system has received several dozens
of new vehicles in the last five years, but the vast majority are more than
25 years old. This latest accident will raise questions as to the safety of
Prague's aging trams.