Eckwersheim derailment

The LGV Est européenne (often shortened to LGV Est) is a high-speed rail line connecting Paris and Strasbourg. Development has been divided into two phases. The first phase, from Vaires-sur-Marne near Paris, to Baudrecourt opened on 10 June 2007. Construction on the 106km second phase, from Baudrecourt to Vendenheim, near Strasbourg, began in 2010. At the time of the derailment, the line was scheduled to open for commercial service on 3 April 2016, following commissioning trials and training for operators. During this phase, more than 200 test runs would be performed on the line. The test runs would test ride smoothness, performance of the catenary, radio communications, and the signalling system. Some automated safety systems were disabled to allow the test train to operate beyond normal operating conditions. Orientation training for operators was scheduled to take place between January and March 2016 prior to the start of commercial service on the line, which was scheduled for 3 April 2016 at the time of the accident. In January 2016, SNCF announced that the opening of the line would be delayed until 3 July 2016. ==Accident==

Departure Tests scheduled for 11 and 14 November were to traverse each of the two tracks, in both directions of travel and at a test speed 10% above the speed limit when the line is in commercial service. The Meuse-Strasbourg run was the last series of tests on the line during the fourth phase of tests. Cars 8–9 came to rest on the east bank of the canal and the rear power car ended up partially submerged in the canal. Emergency medical and fire rescue services along with 100 gendarmes responded to the incident. At its height, 104 engines from three départments responded to the incident—65 from Bas-Rhin and 39 from Moselle and Haut-Rhin. Those with minor injuries were treated by responders from the French Red Cross, which operated at the school in Eckwersheim. The French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Ségolène Royal, and the Secretary of State for Transport, Alain Vidalies, travelled to the site shortly after the crash. The train was carrying 53 people, including four children, ages 10–15, who were not officially authorized to be aboard. Ten died at the crash scene, one died the following evening, and one seriously injured person remained in hospital as of February 2016. Despite breaking in two pieces and the severe impact with the parapet, there were no deaths among the seven people in the front cab. The second-to-last car impacted the canal wall and was the car with the highest death toll. ==Investigation==

Three investigations have been opened. opened a non-judicial technical investigation. The BEA-TT published its final report in March 2017. A criminal investigation and internal investigation by SNCF have also been opened. Among the subjects which SNCF will investigate is whether there was a dereliction of duties by an SNCF employee that resulted in the unauthorized children riding on the train. The president of SNCF has exclaimed: "This is not a practice that SNCF recognizes. A test train is a test train." The derailment occurred the day after the November 2015 Paris attacks, initially sparking fears that the derailment was the work of terrorists. On 19 November, SNCF announced the initial findings of their investigation. The train's event recorder indicated that the train entered the curve at 265km/h and was travelling at 243km/h at the moment it derailed, which investigators have determined to be a result of centrifugal forces. The investigation has found no fault for the accident in the infrastructure, train, or member of the technical team. There were seven people in the driving cab at the time of the accident, all of whom survived. Investigators have suggested that this may have been a factor in the late braking. SNCF began disciplinary proceedings and take punitive measures against employees responsible for, among other things, the "reckless presence" of children on the test train, presence of seven people in the cab, the lack of rigor in creating lists of those onboard and controlling access to the train, and "without doubt" the human errors in the cab. ==Aftermath==

SNCF held a minute of silence for the victims during the course of operations on Monday, 16 November. The following day, a memorial service was held in the church in Mundolsheim, which was attended by SNCF President Guillaume Pepy. The scheduled opening of the second phase of the LGV Est for commercial service was delayed by three months, from 3 April to 3 July 2016. Until 11 December 2016, a short segment of the line around the site of the derailment was limited to a single track while repairs on the damaged track were completed. ==See also==