Alfarelos train crash
| Date | 21 January 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Time | 21:15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Alfarelos, Soure, Coimbra | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Portugal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rail line | Linha do Norte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Caminhos-de-Ferro Portugueses | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type of incident | Rear collision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Trains | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deaths | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Injuries | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Linha do Norte to 
Linha do Norte to The Alfarelos train crash occurred on 21 January 2013 at the Alfarelos station, in the Portuguese Northern Line. Two trains crashed, after passing the same signal at danger, wounding 25 people and halting the Northern Line for three days.
On the day of the accident, services were operating as usual in the Northern Line. At 19:30, an InterCity train left Lisbon Santa Apolónia towards Porto Campanhã.
About half an hour later, at 19:55, a train left Entroncamento, 106 kilometres (66 mi) away from Santa Apolónia, making the regional service towards Coimbra, where it was scheduled to arrive at 21:51.
Both trains were expected to meet at around 21:17 in Alfarelos, where the InterCity would overtake the regional.
The inquiry commission led by CP and REFER collected information about the events that led to the collision. According to their report, shortly before arriving at Alfarelos, the regional train encountered a caution signal (solid yellow), meaning that it would find a red signal at Alfarelos. As the driver slowed down the train, so that it would stop before the red signal, it started slipping on the rails.
The driver was not able to stop the train on time. 230 metres (0.14 mi) before the signal, with the train travelling at 36 kilometres per hour (22 mph), CONVEL triggered the emergency brakes. This was not enough to stop the train which passed the signal at danger at a speed of 34.5 kilometres per hour (21.4 mph) and stopped 269 metres (0.167 mi) after the signal.
Following the rules for this type of incident, the driver contacted the REFER Lisbon Operational Command Center (CCO Lisboa), awaiting instructions on how to proceed. The train could either be told to go back to the signal, or to continue ahead.
At the same time, the InterCity train passed through the same caution signal at 130.5 kilometres per hour (81.1 mph), and faced similar problems. After braking for 500 metres (0.31 mi), the train speed was still 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), which prompted the driver to use the sander. This train was also unable to stop on time, and passed the signal at danger with a speed of 58.5 kilometres per hour (36.4 mph), moment at which CONVEL triggered the emergency brakes. Shortly after, at 21:15, this train collided with the regional train, at 42 kilometres per hour (26 mph), destroying the last car and damaging other two.
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Wikipedia