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None Injured in Germany Train Incident
EFL - Is AQ sending Germany a friendly reminder.A high-speed train carrying 200 passengers struck six metal slabs attached to tracks in an apparent attempt to derail it, authorities said Sunday. The train was able to slow down in time and stayed on the rails. None of the InterCityExpress trainâs passengers were injured in the collision with the metal pieces early Saturday. The 38-pound metal slabs had been screwed onto tracks between the towns of Kamen and Nordboegge on a line linking Cologne and Berlin. The driver braked after spotting the slabs, and the train came to a halt after dragging the metal along the tracks for about 400 yards, police said. It was traveling at 56 mph. The incident comes amid a flurry of attacks and attempted attacks on European train lines. On March 11, 10 bombs planted on Spanish commuter trains killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800. On March 24, a bomb was found half-buried on a train track near the town of Troyes, some 100 miles southeast of Paris, triggering a massive inspection of the nationâs rail network. Spanish authorities on Friday discovered a bomb planted under a high-speed rail line 40 miles south of Madrid. Dortmund prosecutor Henner Kruse said it was unclear whether the metal slabs could have derailed the train had the driver not braked. Kruse said prosecutors had no information yet as to who might have been responsible. The slabs apparently were attached to the track shortly before the high-speed train arrived because a local train passed the site on the same track about 18 minutes earlier, police said. That is pretty fast work, but I donât inderstand why they chose to screw the slabs in place. With respect to protecting transportation targets, trains should be much harder to protect than airlines. One way that security could be improved cheaply would be to declare 200 yards on either side of train tracks a free deer hunting area 365 days a year with no fee or licensee requirement. Checking tracks with UAVâs or remote controlled train engines might also be advisable. Posted by: Super Hose 2004-04-05 |
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