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A wheel of the ICE 1 No. 884 'Wilhelm Konrad Röntgen' high speed train fails during travel in Eschede, Germany. The train derails and strikes a bridge, killing 101 people and injuring 105.
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00:01The German Intercity Express is one of the fastest trains in the world,
00:05renowned for its comfort, luxury and safety.
00:08Until it careers off the track and crashes at 200 km per hour.
00:15101 people perish in 180 seconds.
00:20It's the worst high-speed train crash ever.
00:24Now, with advanced computer technology, we reveal exactly what went wrong.
00:34Disasters don't just happen, they're a chain of critical events.
00:39Unravel the fateful decisions in those final seconds from disaster.
00:56Europe, Germany, Munich.
01:013rd of June, 1998.
01:055.45 a.m.
01:08Passengers board the 800-seater Intercity Express.
01:13ICE 884 will make seven stops on an 850 km journey before reaching Hamburg,
01:20a popular destination because of its connections to business centers and seaside holiday resorts.
01:275.47 a.m., ICE 884 departs Munich.
01:3212 luxury coaches carrying more than 400 passengers.
01:37The Intercity Express is fast, capable of traveling at 250 km per hour.
01:43It boasts advanced safety features, including carriages made from strengthened aluminium and computerized onboard monitoring systems.
01:54In seven years of service, there's never been a fatal accident.
01:59It's so advanced that even Amtrak are considering buying the design for use on America's rail network.
02:07The second stop on ICE 884's journey is Nuremberg.
02:12Jörg Dittmann, his wife Sigrid and their six-year-old son Andre get on and take their seats in coach
02:17one,
02:18right at the front of the train.
02:21They're going away to the seaside.
02:25Well, it was the very first big holiday for my family.
02:29So we said, okay, let's have a stress-free break without the car.
02:33Well, because on a train you're free to move around, which is a big advantage when traveling with children.
02:42Edith Schaefflein is also going on holiday.
02:45She boards coach five in the middle of the train.
02:50I got on the Intercity Express in Würzburg.
02:54I was on my way to a health resort.
02:59And I was due to get off in Hamburg.
03:05Udo Bach takes the ICE train because its smooth ride and luxurious surroundings enable him to work on the journey.
03:13He boards coach 12 at the rear of the train.
03:18I got on the ICE at Fulda station.
03:21I was on a business trip to a conference in Hamburg.
03:30I wanted to prepare for the day ahead, so I found a compartment, sat down and worked on my laptop.
03:41Germany's high-speed ICE train is a prestige project from a country famed for its engineering skills.
03:48It's launched on June 2, 1991 to extravagant state celebrations.
03:54This is more than just a new train.
03:57With the fall of the Berlin Wall only two years earlier, the advanced ICE symbolizes a bright future for a
04:03united Germany.
04:05speeds of 250 km per hour are routine, significantly cutting journey times.
04:14But speed and safety are not the train's only selling points.
04:18There is also luxury.
04:21The coaches are air-conditioned.
04:23Seats are equipped with headphones and offer a choice of music.
04:26Some even have television screens.
04:30If this looks like the business class cabin of a plane, that's exactly what the train's designers want.
04:39The ICE is an instant hit with passengers.
04:43Only two years after its introduction, more than 65,000 people a day use the service.
04:49Many lured away from air travel by its speed, comfort and convenience.
04:54That it should fail is unthinkable.
04:5910.56am
05:02Five hours into the journey.
05:05The 400 passengers on board ICE-884 are just 40 minutes from Hamburg, their final destination.
05:12So far, it's been an uneventful journey.
05:15But that is about to change.
05:29The bang was just beyond any description.
05:32All I can compare it with is the moment when a supersonic jet thunders through the sound barrier.
05:37And this happens right next to your ear.
05:41And at that moment, a shard of metal came slicing through the armrest between my wife and my son.
05:48The huge metal shard creates a gaping hole in the carriage floor.
05:52And then I just said, get out, get out, get out of the compartment.
05:57Get out, get out, get out of the compartment.
05:58The way he is.
06:03Elsewhere in the train, passengers hear the bang.
06:06But they are unaware of what's happening in coach one.
06:09Edith Schaefflein is in coach five in the middle of the train.
06:12there was an enormous bang and the people in our carriage jumped up and wondered what it was
06:25but then it all went calm after that the train continued smoothly and so everyone sat back down
06:36at the very back of the train in coach 12 Udo Bach is absorbed in his work
06:42I didn't hear anything beforehand unlike other passengers who've reported hearing
06:46noises but that's probably because I was concentrating I was working on my computer
06:5410 57 a.m. and the damaged ICE 884 is still speeding through the countryside at 200
07:01kilometers per hour with a huge shot of metal that smashed through the floor of
07:05one lodged between two seats Jörg Dittmann takes immediate action he leads his wife
07:12and son out of the damage coach and sets off to alert the train crew to what he's just witnessed
07:17I found the train conductor in the third coach getting there from coach one seemed to take
07:25forever it felt like I had to run the length of the train it took ages it was terrible but
07:39the train
07:40conductor tells you're good according to company rules he must investigate the incident before he's
07:45authorized to activate the emergency brakes Jörg leads him back to coach one to inspect the damage
07:51it takes them one minute to get there 10 58 a.m. ICE 884 with 400 people on board is
08:01hurtling towards
08:02the town of Esherda and 200 kilometers per hour in one minute this sleepy town will become synonymous
08:09with the worst accident in the history of high-speed rail travel one of its residents Erica Carl is at
08:17home
08:17with her husband their house is next to a road bridge just 20 meters from the railway tracks
08:29I was sitting in the kitchen with my husband having a cup of coffee and we were talking about
08:35changes we wanted to make to our garden and it was a lovely summer's day no indication of what was
08:42about to happen good on board I see 884 yet dipen knows something is seriously wrong with the
08:53train I came back with the conductor and by then the whole train had started to sway from side to
09:02side so we were thrown about the carriage I see 884 is approaching the Esherda road bridge at 200
09:09kilometers per hour hopefully this thing will come to a stop somehow nothing terrible will happen is
09:16what I thought but the worst did happen a routine trip on a German intercity Express is about to turn
09:28to
09:29tragedy it's 400 passengers are unaware that anything is wrong with the train
09:40all except for one man Jörg Dittmann is sitting with his family in coach one when something tears
09:47through the armrest now he's trying to persuade the train conductor to stop the train even when the
09:57train started to sway about he didn't show any signs of willingness to pull the emergency brake he just
10:05wanted to find out what was wrong we came to the first coach where we've been sitting home and I
10:11was just about to point to the spot and show him the damage and that's when it happens and pursue
10:19a 200 kilometers per hour I see 884 derails and burbles towards the road bridge 10 59 a.m. Erica
10:28Carl and her
10:29husband Dita hear the noise my husband said I think it's a plane crash and then there was deathly silence
10:45and
10:46and not even the birds were singing
10:57Erika Carl inadvertently becomes the first person on the accident scene
11:02our door has a glass pane so we could see that a train was right by our front gate
11:10then I said to my husband there's an icee lying outside in the quiet town of Eschede only 130
11:19kilometers from Hamburg these are the photos that Erica Carl takes a 50-ton carriage has landed in her
11:26back garden amazingly the only damage to her house is a broken window pane damage to the train however is
11:37colossal more than 400 passengers are on the crashed I see you're good man is back near his seat in
11:45coach
11:45one at the front of the train I looked at the train conductor lying on the floor and he looked
11:53at me
11:54his face covered in blood so we stared at each other saying you okay okay remarkably the train conductor
12:02Jörg and his family have only superficial wounds they're able to walk away from the accident
12:12further down the train he did shape line and who do about a seriously injured along with more than a
12:19hundred others 1105 six minutes after the crash as the emergency services arrive the enormity of the
12:29disaster becomes apparent first news pictures reveal that the double-lane 300-ton road bridge has totally
12:37collapsed the devastation is breathtaking Andrea's Ewinghausen is one of the first policemen on the scene
12:54I could see these railway carriages compacted into each other bent and twisted upwards five six meters in
13:01the air right up to the top of the embankment and the entire concrete bridge had gone it was lying
13:08on
13:08the ground it was a scene of total devastation cause for us eight of the IC's coaches have concertina
13:19it into an area little more than the length of a single carriage hundreds are still trapped in the
13:27wreckage Udo Bach who moments before was preparing for a business conference is now seriously injured
13:36I was lying there my legs paralyzed scared that I was going to die
13:43andrea's Ewinghausen he is boss cries for help but he's unable to drag him from the wreckage I made
13:49contact with one of the rescue team leaders I told him that I had found a seriously injured man on
13:54the
13:54train this way for let the rescue team sends for specialist equipment mom was there about this
14:01stuff they had to cut the roof off to get me out and I was in agony I think how
14:06the other
14:06stock is so the paramedics gave me strong painkillers the side effects of the drug meant that my
14:13breathing stopped temporarily and then I went into a coma and what it done in I can see if I
14:19don't
14:19remember anything about the rescue after that it's my mom how I ended up in a helicopter and was flown
14:25to
14:25Hanover I don't recall any of it can't even eat Merlin 1125 a.m. initial estimates but the number of
14:35casualties at 40 dead and 40 seriously injured Edith Schaefflein is trapped in coach five with injuries to her legs
14:47then the first fireman appeared and asked how I was I said I was fine I couldn't feel any pain
14:56because
14:56of the shock and so then he helped me out of the window on the other side of the carriage
15:04despite her injuries Edith Schaefflein manages to climb out of the window and is taken to hospital
15:13by 1 45 p.m. medical staff have given emergency treatment on site to 87 people 27 of the most
15:22critically injured are airlifted to hospital rescue workers have no idea how many people are still trapped
15:30inside the train but while there's the slightest hope of finding more survivors the operation
15:36continues into the afternoon evening and night during the night the rescue teams discover the
15:44bodies of two railway workers in the wreckage they've been carrying out routine maintenance on
15:49the track when the train crashed the death toll now climbs to 81 over the next 48 hours emergency
15:58services continue their desperate search but no one else is found alive at 6 42 a.m. on Saturday
16:08morning almost three days after the crash the rescue operation is called off 101 people die and 105 are
16:18injured in the world's worst high-speed train crash the unthinkable has happened the pride of German
16:26technology lies in ruins the intercity express is one of the fastest most luxurious trains in Europe
16:35used by 65,000 passengers a day in a matter of seconds an unblemished safety record is shattered in a
16:45devastating accident now we rewind the events of that fateful day and go deep into the investigation to
16:53reveal what really happened advanced computer simulation will take us where no camera can go
17:00into the heart of the disaster zone within hours of the crash news journalists seize on a simple
17:08explanation for the accident the cause of the crash remains uncertain but first reports said that the
17:23crash investigators are told that 20 minutes before the accident a car was seen parked on the bridge over
17:30the railway a British eyewitness goes even further he thought that the vehicle had fallen through the
17:38barrier off the bridge and onto the railway line the tracks out of nowhere came the express train and I
17:50mean
17:51everybody just closed their eyes in disbelief the train had no chance to stop there's just an almighty
17:55great crash seemed to go on for eternity during the cleanup operation this theory is given a boost by the
18:06discovery of a vehicle crushed under the wreckage but as investigators examine the crash site further
18:12the mounting forensic evidence increasingly contradicts what the eyewitness thought he'd seen
18:19to start with the first passenger carriages although derailed show no signs of a collision with another
18:25vehicle what's more the power car at the front of the train is completely undamaged investigators
18:33conclude that if another vehicle has caused the accident there would surely be some evidence of
18:38this at the front of the train but then how did the car end up beneath the wrecked ICE the
18:44discovery of
18:45the car's registration details amongst the wreckage provides the final clue Jürgen Vigga who had later
18:53prosecuted the Eschede trial sets the record straight to begin with there was a rumor that the crash was
19:01caused by a vehicle which had fallen from the bridge but it was quickly discovered that the car in
19:07question was actually a service vehicle used by employees of the train company working near the
19:13track and who unfortunately also became victims of the accident the two men had left the vehicle on the
19:21bridge while they worked below it was in fact the impact of the train hitting the bridge which caused the
19:28car to fall off and become buried in the wreckage it didn't actually have anything to do with the
19:35crash one mystery solved but if the car didn't cause the accident what did the first clue comes not
19:48from the crash site but from six kilometres back down the railway this evening it's emerged that
19:54investigators have found damage rails nearly three miles up the line where the actual flare have found
19:59damage to rail tracks six kilometres investigators found marks on and placed the track could these damaged
20:09railway tracks six kilometres back from the accident site really be linked to the cause of the disaster
20:17in coach one investigators make a second discovery that could be related they find a length of steel
20:23lodged in the floor of the carriage what is it exactly and where did it come from
20:32investigators now have to travel back to the final minutes leading up to the crash
20:41180 seconds before the crash Jörg Dittmann is sitting with his family at the front of the train
20:47we were looking out of the window and at that moment there was this unbelievable bang and I just said
20:55get out get out get out to the compartment the investigation team realized that the huge shard of
21:05metal which comes shooting into Jörg Dittmann's compartment is the same piece of metal later
21:09discovered lodged in the floor of coach one but where did it come from the compartment Jörg Dittmann is
21:19sitting in is directly over the rear wheels of coach one closer examination of the wheels leads to a
21:26breakthrough discovery one of them is seriously damaged and its steel rim has broken away
21:35investigators conclude the piece of metal stuck in the floor of coach one is in fact the broken rim
21:41which is separated from the wheel smashing up through the carriage floor between your
21:46Jörg Dittmann's wife and son Robert Laube is the director of safety with the US National Transport
21:55Safety Board at the time of the Esheda accident part of the wheel that broken straightened out and it hung
22:01up directly under the car in this position the wheel was carried along as the train traveled down the
22:08track at 112 miles per hour and it's this unraveled wheel rim that scrapes along the track sending sparks flying
22:18causing the track damage almost six kilometers back from the accident site but losing one wheel rim
22:27should not have caused the technically advanced ICE 884 to crash so catastrophically and since the train
22:34travels another six kilometers before derailing something else must have happened to turn a
22:39mechanical failure into a major disaster the team now turn their attention to the area of track immediately
22:50before the Esheda road bridge here they find some crucial new evidence damage to the track indicates the
22:58200 meters before the bridge the train derails but why does it derail here and not at the point where
23:06the wheel rim shatters six kilometers further back the point where the train careers off the track is
23:14where the local branch line crosses the mainline there are two sets of points which can divert rail traffic
23:21from the mainline to the branch line to guide trains through these sets of points safely there are also rail
23:27guides known as check rails investigators comb the track at the point of derailment they make a crucial
23:36finding one of the check rails a length of steel is missing it's been completely torn away from the
23:44track they need to find it a detailed search of the crash site reveals nothing but when investigators
23:53examine the inside of the inside of the wrecked train they make another vital discovery this is coach one our
24:03cameras
24:03are the first to be allowed inside since the Esheda crash inquiry faded posters and magazines lie scattered around the
24:12carriage
24:15it's as if time stood still at 10 59 a.m. on June the 3rd 1998
24:22here investigators make a breakthrough damage to the compartment in which Jörg Dittmann was traveling
24:30indicates where the wheel rim unraveled splitting the floor open and piercing the armrest but only a few meters
24:38away in the corridor investigators find something else it's the missing check rail which leaves these gaping holes in the
24:47floor and ceiling
24:50with this discovery they're now able to piece together more of the last moments of the trains journey
24:573.6 seconds before the crash on the approach to the Esheda roadbridge ICE 884 is still traveling at 200
25:04kilometers per hour with the wheel rim scraping along the track
25:08as the train runs over the first set of points the end of the rim scoops up the check rail
25:14which smashes through the floor of coach one
25:19it's this massive impact which causes two of the wheels of the rear of coach one to derail
25:27but investigators realize that although ICE 884 has derailed this still isn't enough to cause the huge devastation of the
25:35accident
25:39in fact in many derailments trains often grind to a halt with minimal damage
25:47so if the derailment isn't the final cause of the disaster
25:51what is
25:54Germany's high-speed train ICE 884 crashes in the town of Esheda
25:59killing 101 people
26:01it's the worst disaster in the history of high-speed rail travel
26:07using advanced computer graphics based on accident reports
26:11we go deep into the investigation to unravel the tragic chain of events
26:18investigators know that the metal rim of one of the trains wheels breaks
26:24and smashes up through the floor of coach one just as it's approaching a road bridge
26:29when it passes over a set of points where the branch line crosses the main line
26:34the rim from the damaged wheel scoops up a check rail
26:38and the train derails
26:43even now the train should be able to come to a halt safely
26:46but instead the fatal chain of events continues
26:51the investigation team returned to the crash site to hunt for more clues
26:55they examine the second set of points immediately before the bridge
27:00and make an extraordinary finding
27:03there's evidence to suggest that after the points ICE 884
27:07actually starts traveling on two different sets of tracks
27:11the main line and the branch line
27:15how can this have happened?
27:19the team deduced that 1.44 seconds before the crash
27:23as ICE 884 passes over the second set of points
27:26one of the two derailed wheels of coach one smashes into them
27:30and forces them to open
27:33this means that the carriages following coach one
27:36are now guided onto the wrong track
27:39the local branch line rather than the main line
27:44with the front power car still pulling at 200 kilometers per hour
27:48but the coaches behind it slowing as they leave the main line and derail
27:52the connection between the power car and the rest of the train
27:55tears apart
27:59at this moment emergency air brakes automatically deploy throughout the train
28:14before we could react at all there was this jolt
28:18as if a bullet had been fired from a gun
28:22I felt it was all over
28:24coach one is now straddling the main line
28:27and coach two is heading off onto the branch line
28:33but even this does not cause the final crash
28:371.44 seconds before impact
28:39ICE 884 is derailed
28:42but essentially undamaged
28:43and its emergency air brakes could bring the train to a controlled stop
28:49but that is not what happens
28:51and what's more the compact nature of the wreckage indicates to investigators
28:56that this is a particularly violent accident
29:00they now scour the crash site for clues
29:03to shed light on how a train 410 meters long
29:06can have been compressed into an area
29:08the length of a single carriage
29:12they examine the remains of the Esherda road bridge
29:14to see what part it might have played in the accident
29:23the bridge is supported by concrete pillars
29:26which stand about two meters from the tracks
29:29it's this proximity to the railway
29:30that becomes the new focus of inquiry
29:32it helps to piece together the next sequence of events
29:39about three minutes after the wheel breaks
29:41ICE 884 reaches the Esherda road bridge
29:44at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour
29:47the power car and coaches one and two
29:50pass under the bridge without touching it
29:53but coach three is pushed outwards
29:56by the momentum of the train
29:58and slams directly into the pillars
30:01ICE 884 crashes into the Esherda road bridge
30:06the third car was diverted over to the siding
30:09and swung out to the right
30:11and at that time struck the supports for the bridge
30:15and knocked the supports out from under the bridge
30:21when coach three destroys the pillars
30:23the bridge starts to collapse
30:27coach four clears the falling bridge
30:29but catapults off the track and crashes into nearby trees
30:34as coach five passes under the collapsing bridge
30:37it's struck by tons of falling concrete
30:39and the rear half is totally destroyed
30:44Edith Schaefflein is travelling in the front half of coach five
30:51there was just no time to think
30:53I heard the bang and was thrown about
30:58I was catapulted from left to right
31:01I saw that the windows were shattering
31:04and the train buckled so much
31:06it's just impossible to imagine
31:09how it was so completely smashed up
31:11so completely ripped apart
31:17immediately behind her
31:18the restaurant coach is crushed
31:20to a height of 15 centimeters
31:22by the falling bridge
31:23the resulting debris now blocks the path
31:25of the remaining six coaches
31:27and the rear power coach
31:28which moving at almost 200 kilometers per hour
31:31concertina into the wreckage
31:34Udo Bausch is in passenger coach 12
31:40there was a bang
31:42a bang louder than I've ever heard in my life
31:45and then everything happened very quickly
31:48I was flung around the compartment
31:50left to right, up and down
31:52until I was left lying there in agony
31:59101 people are killed in the crash at Eschede
32:01it seems to be the result of a tragic chain of events
32:06a broken wheel
32:08some points
32:10a road bridge
32:12which combined to create the biggest disaster in the history of high speed rail travel
32:19if this is the case
32:20if this is a million to one chance accident
32:23then the reputation of the ICE as a safe train will remain intact
32:31but in the next stage of the inquiry
32:33investigators make a startling discovery
32:36that proves the accident could easily have been prevented
32:44Germany's high speed ICE train has crashed
32:47killing 101 people
32:49and all because of a broken wheel
32:51it's the worst disaster in the history of high speed rail travel
32:57after the accident
32:58the rim from the wheel in question
33:00is taken to the Fraunhofer Institute in Darmstadt Southwest Germany
33:04for forensic testing
33:07investigators there are particularly interested in the wheels of this train
33:10because they are of a new design unique to the ICE
33:177 years earlier on the 2nd of June 1991
33:20the ICE is launched
33:23one of the aims of the cutting edge project
33:25is to reach a new standard in luxury and ride quality for its passengers
33:29the train has solid steel wheels known as monoblock wheels
33:35but Deutsche Bahn the German railway company that runs the ICE
33:40soon experiences problems with them
33:45shortly after the trains went into service
33:47they found that they had a technical problem with wheel wear
33:51the wheels were wearing in a strange pattern
33:54when this happened especially when the trains were travelling at high speed
33:59noise and vibration would be generated and transmitted up into the passenger car
34:04the carriage where this is most evident is the restaurant car
34:07where plates are shaking and glasses are spilling
34:10it's the kind of image Deutsche Bahn can do without
34:14to eliminate this restaurant rumble
34:17something has to be done to maintain the ICE's reputation for smoothness
34:22Professor Roderick Smith, mechanical expert at Imperial College London explains
34:28what steps can you take?
34:31it ranges from radical redesign of the track itself
34:35which is clearly not practical
34:38huge redesign of the vehicle
34:41some changes to the suspension of the vehicle
34:44or some changes to the wheel
34:48and so a fairly obvious answer
34:50most people would think that changing the wheel might be the cheap solution
34:57within two months of the ICE's prestigious launch
35:00and under pressure to find a solution
35:02Deutsche Bahn decides to replace its original monoblock wheels
35:05with duoblock wheels
35:08but how does this improve the smoothness of the ride?
35:13a traditional monoblock or one piece wheel is made from a single solid piece of steel
35:19but a duoblock or two piece wheel has an inner wheel surrounded by an outer rim
35:25sandwiched between are sections of rubber
35:29designed to help absorb vibrations
35:31and provide a smoother ride
35:35on the 31st of August 1992
35:38Deutsche Bahn approves duoblock wheel type 064
35:42for use on its ICE trains
35:45the new wheel instantly improves the ride
35:48and cups and saucers no longer shake and rattle in the dining car
35:55wheel type 064 seems initially to be a big success
36:01that is until one of them fails
36:04and triggers the terrible chain of events that cause the Eschede train crash
36:16scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute
36:18are now anxious to know whether there is an inherent fault in this type of wheel
36:21that could cause further accidents
36:25using sophisticated test rigs
36:27they simulate a lifetime's wear in a matter of days
36:33while examining the broken rim from the Eschede train crash
36:36they make an alarming discovery
36:39the wheel rim fractured through metal fatigue
36:47in simple terms
36:48fatigue occurs when a movement is repeated over and over again
36:52causing a stress break at a weak point in the metal
36:56there are examples of it occurring in everyday life
37:00this paper clip is a good example
37:02if we bend it to and fro
37:04a relatively small number of times
37:06you can break it easily
37:09that's exactly what was happening inside the rim of the wheel
37:13that broke in the Eschede accident
37:18a wheel on a train actually flexes slightly as it turns
37:21because of the massive load it's under supporting the moving train
37:25these movements are miniscule
37:26but the constant flexing of the metal can eventually given enough usage
37:30cause the wheels destruction through metal fatigue
37:39with a duo block wheel
37:40there's a layer of rubber between the wheel and the rim
37:43the soft rubber allows the outer rim to flex much more than on a monoblock wheel
37:48as the separate rim wears down through use
37:51the flexing increases
37:54without thorough inspection
37:55the wheel rim can become too thin
37:57and a small defect can become a crack
37:59that eventually fractures
38:01causing the outer rim to break away from the inner wheel
38:05with devastating results
38:14in the case of ICE 884 this is exactly what happens
38:19but metal fatigue fractures in train wheels usually develop over a period of months or years
38:25so why didn't Deutsche Bahn technicians notice it during routine maintenance inspections?
38:32this is the answer that Deutsche Bahn gives to the investigation team
38:37instead of relying on their sophisticated metal fatigue detection equipment
38:41it turns out that engineers at Deutsche Bahn's Munich maintenance facility
38:45had been carrying out safety checks on ICE's wheels
38:48with nothing more advanced than a flashlight
38:53as an inspection technique for any wheels
38:56the use of torches will only pick out the largest and most dangerous of cracks
39:02it won't pick out tiny fatigue cracks at an early stage of their life
39:07so in terms of detecting potential cracks on the inside of the rim of a dual block wheel
39:13it's a completely useless technique
39:17the engineers at Deutsche Bahn's Munich depot had also been carrying out some tests
39:22with their high-tech testing machines
39:24but the data was considered unreliable
39:27as the equipment constantly came up with error messages
39:31however in the week leading up to the Eschede train crash
39:34the wheel that would go on to cause the accident
39:36was highlighted as being defective in three separate automated checks
39:45when investigators download the maintenance reports from the crash trains onboard computer
39:50they make another astonishing discovery
39:53they find that starting back in April
39:55two months before the crash
39:58conductors and other train staff
39:59lodge as many as eight separate complaints
40:01about the unusual noise and vibration
40:04coming from the bogey that carries the defective wheel
40:07Deutsche Bahn doesn't replace the wheel
40:11wheels of this type have been in use for 40 years
40:14but Deutsche Bahn's duoblock wheel is of a new design
40:18and has never been used on a high-speed train before
40:22in fact, duoblock wheels are traditionally found
40:25on one of the slowest moving forms of rail transport
40:28the tram
40:34in July 1997
40:35almost a year before the Eschede train crash
40:38the company that runs the tram network in the German city of Hanover
40:42discovers dangerous metal fatigue cracks occurring in its duoblock wheels
40:47even though they're running at speeds of only 24 kilometers per hour
40:54they decide to change their duoblock wheels more often
40:57well before metal fatigue has a chance to develop
41:01the tram company contacts other rail operators running on duoblock wheels
41:06to inform them of the metal fatigue problem
41:08and its simple solution
41:11in autumn 1997
41:13only months before the Eschede accident
41:15they notified Deutsche Bahn
41:17according to the tram company
41:19Deutsche Bahn said they haven't experienced any problems with metal fatigue
41:26investigators begin to question Deutsche Bahn's inspection procedure for the new duoblock wheel type 064
41:35on August the 8th 2002
41:38a trial begins against three engineers accused of negligent homicide
41:44and bodily harm
41:44the outcome of the trial surprises everyone
41:46and shocks the German public
41:49the investigation into the cause of the Eschede train crash
41:52reveals that tragically
41:54101 people have died
41:56because inspections on the wheel that triggered the accident
41:59were inadequate
42:01three individuals
42:02two engineers from Deutsche Bahn
42:04and an employee from the wheel manufacturer BVV
42:07are charged with negligent homicide
42:09and bodily harm
42:11the engineers defense is that they had followed the technical standards of the time
42:16and that the fracture in the wheel could not have been predicted
42:20Deutsche Bahn is not in the dock itself
42:22because in Germany only people can be tried not companies
42:26after eight months the trial ends in controversy
42:36no one was found guilty
42:38they were charged
42:41and there was a trial
42:43but there was no guilty verdict return
42:46in German law
42:48when there is no substantial guilt
42:50a trial may be concluded with no guilty verdict
42:53and a fine can be paid as a compromise
42:55and that's what happens in the case of the Eschede train crash trial
43:00the prosecution and defense agree to a compromise
43:03no one is found guilty of negligent homicide
43:05but the court fines the three engineers 10,000 euros
43:09around six and a half thousand pounds each
43:11families of the victims and survivors of the accident are furious
43:15the court's decision makes their fight for compensation
43:17much harder
43:21it's a huge disappointment to me
43:23the fact that German law is in such a sad state
43:30in other countries curiously these things work without a hitch
43:34and there are excellent much better schemes taking care of the victim
43:37only in our country strangely this is not possible
43:42it seems beyond belief
43:46soon after the accident
43:48Deutsche Bahn did make initial goodwill payments to the families who had lost loved ones in the accident
43:53the amount was 30,000 Deutschmarks for each person killed
43:57this offer was met by some with anger and derision
44:0230,000 marks for every dead person
44:09that's just a joke
44:11Deutsche Bahn later settled financially with many victims
44:15but for Edith money has had a limited effect on her quality of life
44:20I completely ripped apart all the tendons in my legs
44:25and so I still have problems from that
44:28even now I have to make allowances every day
44:35directly after the accident
44:37Udo Bauch spends 17 days in a coma
44:41today he's disabled and cannot work
44:46he's reunited with the policeman who saved his life
44:48Andreas Evinghausen
44:50whom he asks to be the godfather to his daughter Marie
44:53born three years after the accident
44:57and thankful to be alive Udo builds a memorial
45:01this chapel gets about five to six thousand visitors a year
45:09and it's very popular
45:11people say lots of prayers here for the victims of Eschede
45:16and that is enough proof for me that to build this memorial with my own money
45:20was the right thing to do
45:23A year after the construction of Udo Bauch's memorial
45:26an official memorial is also built
45:28in part funded by Deutsche Bahn
45:32it's at the site of the crash next to the new Eschede road bridge
45:36a reminder of that terrible summer's morning
45:39when an extraordinary chain of events unfolds
45:42a poorly maintained wheel which breaks
45:44and lodges in the train floor
45:46scooping up a check rail
45:48causing ICE 884 to career off the tracks
45:52as it crosses a set of points
45:53and smash into the bridge
45:56triggering the world's worst high-speed rail disaster
46:01today Deutsche Bahn has removed the duoblock wheel type 064 from service
46:06and replaced them with traditional monoblock wheels
46:10they maintain that the wheels and the inspections met the standards required at the time
46:14and that their engineers could not have predicted a wheel fracture
46:20as of November 2002
46:22Deutsche Bahn say they paid out 25 million euros
46:25in compensation to the victims families and survivors of the crash
46:31since refitting monoblock wheels
46:33Deutsche Bahn's ICE trains
46:35have clocked up millions of kilometers a year safely
46:37and the popularity of high-speed rail travel worldwide
46:42continues to soar
46:48is
46:49is
46:49is
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