The Zibo train collision () was a major train collision that occurred on the morning of April 28, 2008, near the city of Zibo, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The accident occurred on the Jiaoji Railway, which links the important cities of Qingdao and Jinan in Shandong province. With a death toll of 72 people and 416 injuries, the collision was the deadliest rail accident in the People's Republic of China since a 1997 accident in Hunan.
Context
The Jiaoji railway is a trunk line that is about a century old, built originally by Germans in the area during the late Qing dynasty. The accident gained international attention as Beijing was preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, and occurred during the Olympic torch relay. It was notable also as the deadliest accident of China's railway system since an accident in Hunan in April 1997. It was the second accident on the Jiaoji Railway line during 2008, the first involving a train that killed 18 railway workers in January.
Synopsis
was an express passenger train from Beijing to Sifang railway station in Qingdao. It derailed at 04:38 China Standard Time (CST) on the inside (left) track around a bend due to excessive speed, at around 500 meters east of Wangcun Railway Station. In all, carriages 10 to 18 derailed on the scene. Those in carriages 1 to 9 were relatively unaffected. Train 5034 was a regular passenger train from Yantai destined for Xuzhou, coming from the other direction on the outside track at the regulated speed of 80 km/h. As the derailment of T195 became visible to the drivers, it was too late to stop the train. Train 5034 collided with the derailed cars at the K290+940 meters mileage marker on the double-tracked Jiaoji Railway at approximately 04:41 CST, three minutes after the derailment of T195. At this point, cars 9 to 16 of T195 derailed and blocked the parallel track that Train 5034 was on. The first three cars of Train 5034 reportedly fell into a ditch.
As Train T195 derailed, it turned 90 degrees on its side. As most people were asleep during the time of the derailment, some only became aware after the incident had occurred. As passengers exited, many around the area were making frantic calls on their mobile telephones, temporarily causing the malfunction of the local telephone network.
The accident caused 72 fatalities and 416 injuries. It occurred when train T195 was on a section of the railway track undergoing maintenance ahead of the 2008 Olympics. The section was a temporary railway and the speed limit was , but T195 was traveling at .