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Fifteen hurt as two Swiss trains derail in storm

Fifteen people were injured, including at least one seriously hurt, in two separate train derailments that happened in quick succession Friday in stormy wind in northwestern Switzerland, police said.

Published: 1 April 2023 07:52 CEST
Rail staff work at the site of a train derailment near Luscherz
Rail staff work at the site of a train derailment near Luscherz, northwest of Bern, on March 31, 2023. Fifteen people have been injured in two separate train derailments that happened in quick succession, police said. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

The incidents, on regional passenger rail lines, took place about 30 kilometres apart, north of the Swiss capital Bern.

Three people were injured in the first, including the driver, and 12 were injured in the second, with wind speeds of 136 kilometres per hour recorded nearby.

The first incident happened at the lakeside village of Luscherz at around 4:30 pm (1430 GMT), police said. The train had 16 people on board.

“While a strong wind was blowing… the front carriage of the train overturned on the right of the track, slipped down a small embankment for a few metres and finally came to a halt,” Bern cantonal police said in a statement.

“Three people, including the driver in the overturned carriage, were injured, treated by four ambulance teams and taken to hospital.”

The front carriage of the two-carriage train could be seen lying on its right side off the single-line track, on the grass verge between a path that runs alongside the railway line and a ploughed field.

Workers in orange workwear and hard hats were at the scene, with a ladder placed alongside the carriage so they could reach the upturned left side.

Firefighters helped to get people out.

The rear carriage rolled on for a few metres before coming to a stop.

A power mast was damaged, putting the line out of action.

“An investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances and causes of the accident,” police said.

Picturesque routes

The second derailment took place around 20 minutes later in the village of Buren zum Hof.

Bern police spokeswoman Magdalena Rast told SRF public television that nine adults and three children were injured, with the police tweeting earlier that there was “at least one seriously injured person”.

The RBS regional rail operator said some services had been suspended “as a result of the storm”.

A spokeswoman said the accident could have been due to the high winds but “it’s not clear”.

Train staff work on the site of a train derailment near lakeside town of Luscherz

Train staff work on the site of a train derailment near lakeside town of Luscherz, northwest of the capital Bern on March 31, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Switzerland is renowned for its extensive and punctual rail network, with frequent services between cities, towns and even villages.

Rail enthusiasts come from all over the world to ride on some of the most picturesque routes, or those with exceptionally steep climbs.

Recent figures from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office show that in 2021 eight people lost their lives in Swiss rail accidents and 47 were seriously injured. Most of those hurt were on the tracks.

There were 88 separate accidents, of which 53 resulted in serious injury.

“Overall, the number of victims of rail accidents has fallen significantly in recent decades, despite an increase in transport services,” the office said.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why is Switzerland going to collect a database of flight passengers?

Twenty years after the US began sharing a database of those flying in and out of the country in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Switzerland is set to follow suit - but not without some outside pressure. 

Published: 16 May 2024 15:51 CEST
Why is Switzerland going to collect a database of flight passengers?

Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems are databases that operate by flagging and tracking individuals who may pose a security risk. 

The data includes the name, destination, means of payment, and type of baggage for each passenger arriving or leaving a country via its airports. 

Until now, Switzerland has not participated in a PNR system in a way that allows data to be freely accessible to partners such as the EU and the US. 

Indeed, for years, it has been possible to circumvent the EU’s PNR systems by flying into Switzerland and crossing a land border with the EU. 

Now, however, Switzerland is being forced to comply. 

The United States has threatened Switzerland’s place in their Visa Waiver Program unless they share data. 

Similarly, the EU has applied significant diplomatic pressure to join their efforts – and considerable progress has already occurred, with agreements signed. 

Other countries have also signalled that Swiss carriers may withdraw their landing rights or impose heavy fines if Switzerland does not begin participating in a compliant PNR system. 

Changes in effect 2026

On Wednesday, Justice Minister Beat Jans announced at a press conference that a PNR program that worked in collaboration with other countries would come into effect in 2026. 

The reason given for the length of time it would take to go into effect was that a legal basis for the move does not yet exist in Swiss law—a dispatch on proposed legislation has only just been sent to the Federal Council.

Once passed by the Federal Council and then by the Council of States, the federal police will be responsible for tracking passengers via a new group – the Passenger Information Unit (PIU). 

The PIU will examine passenger manifests a day before and immediately before flights taking off or landing and compare them to shared lists of individuals involved in terrorism, organised crime, or who have committed violent crimes. 

If there is a match, information will be forwarded to authorities at the relevant airport.  

Privacy concerns 

Understandably, for the privacy-conscious Swiss, concerns have been raised. 

Both the right-wing SVP, the Greens and the SPD have voiced doubts about the security and privacy of passenger data. 

In response, the government has announced that all passenger data except for that relates to those linked to terrorist groups will be deleted after six months. 

To further ease concerns, Switzerland’s PNR system will be constantly monitored by the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act.

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