Macs.
09-22-2006, 09:59 AM
Many Feared Dead After Transrapid Train Crash in Germany
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,2181541_1,00.jpg
As many as 19 people might have died in the accident
A yet unknown number of people have died and many are injured after a Transrapid high-speed train travelling a test route in Emsland crashed Friday morning.
County officials in Emsland, where the test route is located, said Friday afternoon that 10 people had been rescued alive while one passenger was found dead. Another 19 are still missing.
"We have to brace for the possibility that we will not be able to rescue them alive," said Emsland County President Hermann Bröring.
Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has interrupted a trip in China to return to Germany.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,2181542_1,00.jpg
Bildunterschrift: A crane lifts parts of the destroyed train on Friday
At the time of the accident, up to 30 people were believed to be on board. Commercial passengers are only allowed on board the train four days a week.
According to reports, the magnetic-levitation train was moving at 200 kilometers (124 miles) per hour when it hit an object, possibly a repair train.
"The rescue operation is underway," said a police spokesperson, who added that recovering bodies is likely to be difficult as the tracks are located on a railway line some four meters above the ground.
World's largest
The Transrapid route in Emsland, Lower Saxony, is the world's largest test track for magnetic-levitation trains. 31.8 kilometers long, it runs between Dörpen and Lathen close to the Dutch border.
The only existing commercial route is the 30-kilometer track in Shanghai linking the airport and the financial district. Travelling at 430 kilometers per hour, it can cover the 30-kilometer distance in just eight minutes.
A 160-kilometer extension to Hangzhou is already in the pipeline.
The Transrapid was built by a Siemens and ThyssenKrupp consortium between 1980 and 1984. ThyseenKrupp just this week threatened to sell the technology to China should Germany not build its own Transrapid line in Munich in the near future.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2181452,00.html
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3323/rapsfeldschleifetx7.jpg
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,2181541_1,00.jpg
As many as 19 people might have died in the accident
A yet unknown number of people have died and many are injured after a Transrapid high-speed train travelling a test route in Emsland crashed Friday morning.
County officials in Emsland, where the test route is located, said Friday afternoon that 10 people had been rescued alive while one passenger was found dead. Another 19 are still missing.
"We have to brace for the possibility that we will not be able to rescue them alive," said Emsland County President Hermann Bröring.
Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has interrupted a trip in China to return to Germany.
http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,2181542_1,00.jpg
Bildunterschrift: A crane lifts parts of the destroyed train on Friday
At the time of the accident, up to 30 people were believed to be on board. Commercial passengers are only allowed on board the train four days a week.
According to reports, the magnetic-levitation train was moving at 200 kilometers (124 miles) per hour when it hit an object, possibly a repair train.
"The rescue operation is underway," said a police spokesperson, who added that recovering bodies is likely to be difficult as the tracks are located on a railway line some four meters above the ground.
World's largest
The Transrapid route in Emsland, Lower Saxony, is the world's largest test track for magnetic-levitation trains. 31.8 kilometers long, it runs between Dörpen and Lathen close to the Dutch border.
The only existing commercial route is the 30-kilometer track in Shanghai linking the airport and the financial district. Travelling at 430 kilometers per hour, it can cover the 30-kilometer distance in just eight minutes.
A 160-kilometer extension to Hangzhou is already in the pipeline.
The Transrapid was built by a Siemens and ThyssenKrupp consortium between 1980 and 1984. ThyseenKrupp just this week threatened to sell the technology to China should Germany not build its own Transrapid line in Munich in the near future.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2181452,00.html
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/3323/rapsfeldschleifetx7.jpg