| Buttevant Rail Disaster |
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| railway accidents in ireland | |
| railway accidents in 1980 | |
| 1980 in ireland | |
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It careered into a siding and smashed into a stationary ballast train. The carriages immediately behind the engine and goods wagon jack-knifed and were thrown across four sets of rail-line. Two coaches and the dining car were totally demolished by the impact. It resulted in the deaths of 18 people and over 70 people being injured. AFTERMATH 70% of Irish rail deaths over a 28 year period occurred as a result of this event (and the subsequent Cherryville junction accident which killed a further seven people) {Link without Title} . CIE and the Government came under severe public pressure to improve safety and to modernise the fleet. A major review of the national rail safety policy has held and resulted in the rapid elimination of the wooden-bodied coaches that had formed part of the train. The passengers who were most severely injured or killed were seated in coaches with wooden frames. This structure was incapable of surviving a high speed crash and did not come near to the safety standards provided by modern (post 1950's) metal bodied coaches. The expert bodies that reviewed that accident discovered that the old timber-frame carriage bodies mounted on a steel frame were totally inadequate as they were prone to complete collapse (the "accordion" effect) under the enormous compression forces of a high speed collision. While the steel underbody remained structurally intact, other carriages could "mount" the frame, completely compress, and destroy the wooden frame body. The more modern steel frame carriage bodies survived due to their greater structural rigidity. On this basis the decision to purchase a new fleet of modern intercity coaches based on the British Rail Mark 3 design was quickly made. The Mark 3's longtitudinally corrugated roof can survive compression forces of over 300 tonnes. These coaches, an already well proven design, were built by BREL in Derby, England and, under licence, at CIE's own workshops at Inchicore in Dublin between 1980 and 1989. COMMEMORATION On August 8 2005 , a commemoration marking the 25th anniversary was held at the station. A bronze sculpture in the shape of two crossing train tracks was unveiled alongside a plaque commemorating the names of the victims at the Buttevant Railway station. SEE ALSO Official report into accident Eyewitness comment of railway worker on the day {Link without Title} |
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