Winsum train disaster

Winsum train disaster

Commemorative gate near the site of the disaster, a day after the remembrance ceremony in 2005 Commemorative gate near the site of the disaster, a day after the remembrance ceremony in 2005
Location within Netherlands
Date	25 July 1980
Location	Winsum, Groningen
Coordinates
Country	Netherlands
Rail line	Sauwerd–Roodeschool railway
Operator	Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Type of incident	Head-on-collision
Statistics
Trains	2
Deaths	9
Injuries	21

The Winsum train disaster took place on 25 July 1980 near Winsum in the Dutch province of Groningen. 9 people died and 21 were injured.

The accident took place on a single track between Sauwerd and Roodeschool which did not have ATB or signals, instead the drivers were informed by radio where other trains on the tracks were, which was a less reliable system that relied on trust.

In the early foggy morning of 25 July the driver of commuter train 8726 departed from Winsum railway station. Because of the fog he could not see the other train (8713) coming from Sauwerd, which the traffic controllers had warned him about and they told him to wait departing from Winsum until it had passed. Both trains collide head on.

The true cause of the disaster never became clear.