2000 Naka-Meguro derailment
The Naka-Meguro train disaster occurred in Japan on 8 March 2000. Five people were killed and 63 were injured when a derailed TRTA Hibiya Line train was sideswiped by a second train near Naka-Meguro Station.
Naka-Meguro train disaster | |
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Details | |
Date | 8 March 2000 approx 9:00 am |
Location | Near Naka-Meguro Station |
Country | Japan |
Line | TRTA Hibiya Line |
Operator | TRTA |
Incident type | Derailment |
Statistics | |
Trains | 2 |
Deaths | 5 |
Injured | 63 |
Accident
At around 9 a.m. on 8 March 2000, the rearmost car of an eight-car TRTA Hibiya Line (now Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line) train from Kita-Senju to Kikuna derailed on the tight curve immediately before Naka-Meguro Station. The derailed car was then hit by the fifth and sixth cars of an eight-car Tobu Railway train travelling in the opposite direction from Naka-Meguro to Takenotsuka.
Factors
It is generally the case that the distance between the tracks less the width of the carriages only allows about 600 mm, so that if a train derails on the same side as the other track, it will almost certainly be foul of the other track, making a collision inevitable. Track circuits do not detect derailments, so it requires prompt action from the train crew to warn the opposing train.