Brétigny-sur-Orge train crash

Brétigny-sur-Orge train crash

The derailed 4th carriage of the train that crashed at the Brétigny station
Date	12 July 2013 (2013-07-12)
Time	17:11 CEST (UTC+02:00)
Location	Brétigny-sur-Orge, Île-de-France
Coordinates	48°36′26″N 2°18′08″E / 48.607316°N 2.302274°E / 48.607316; 2.302274Coordinates: 48°36′26″N 2°18′08″E / 48.607316°N 2.302274°E / 48.607316; 2.302274
Country	France
Operator	SNCF
Type of incident	Derailment
Cause	Track defect
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	385
Deaths	7
Injuries	192

On 12 July 2013, a train crash occurred in the commune of Brétigny-sur-Orge in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, when a passenger train carrying 385 people derailed and hit the station platform. Seven people were killed and nearly 200 were injured.

The accident was cited as the most serious rail crash in France since the 1988 Gare de Lyon accident in which 56 people were killed.

At 17:11 CEST (15:11 UTC) on 12 July 2013,SNCF Corail Intercités train 3657 from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Limoges derailed and crashed at Brétigny station, resulting in the deaths of seven people (three passengers on the train and four on the platform) and injuries to "dozens" more. 385 passengers were on board, which occurred a few minutes after the train departed Austerlitz at 16:53. It was scheduled to arrive at Limoges-Bénédictins at 20:05. The trains and platforms at Brétigny were particularly busy as it was the Friday before the Bastille Day holiday weekend.

Reports indicate the train, which was not scheduled to stop, crashed at 137 km/h (85 mph) (below the speed limit of 150 km/h) and split in two between the fourth and fifth carriages after they derailed on a double slip. The rear of the train deviated to the left from Track 1 to Track 3 at the following railroad switch. The sixth carriage moved laterally between the two tracks and swept the intermediate platform, being pierced by a roof beam. The fifth carriage first hit the platform on its left and came to rest along the opposite platform.