- hace 3 horas
A commuter train bound for Paris is forced to stop at Le Vert de Maisons (Paris RER) when a woman pulls the emergency brake after realising she was about to miss her stop. The crew reset the brake system so the train can resume its trip. Then the train arrives at the Gare de Lyon, it collides with another train parked at the station, killing 56 people.
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00:01A central Paris railway station at the height of the rush hour.
00:05Thousands of passengers head for home.
00:08Suddenly, a runaway train hurtles towards the station.
00:18307 tons of crashing metal slam into a packed commuter train.
00:2456 people die.
00:26It's Paris's worst ever train crash.
00:31Now, using advanced computer simulations,
00:34we reveal exactly what led to tragedy at the Garde de Lyon.
00:39Disasters don't just happen, they're a chain of critical events.
00:44Unravel the clues and count down those final seconds from disaster.
00:57Europe.
00:59France.
01:01Paris.
01:04June 27th, 1988.
01:08A summer's evening in the French capital.
01:12Paris is the focal point of the French rail network.
01:17The French are proud of their rail system.
01:19It's one of the biggest in Europe, with over 34,000 kilometers of track.
01:26With state funding and an ongoing modernization program since the early 80s, the system is increasingly high-tech and efficient.
01:376.20pm.
01:39The 5.38 inbound commuter service from Mélan to Paris, Garde de Lyon station is running on time.
01:45It's a 40-kilometer journey, which takes 50 minutes.
01:51It's an eight-carriage train.
01:54And in the driver's cab is 42-year-old Daniel Solin.
01:59He's worked for SNCF, the French national railway, since he was 15.
02:07Jean Beauvais is the guard on the train.
02:10He's another old hand, who also joined the SNCF straight from school.
02:15So far, it's been a routine trip.
02:19But, at 6.36pm, eight kilometers outside Paris, as the train passes through Verde Maison station, something unexpected happens.
02:30A young woman in the second carriage leaps up and pulls the emergency cord.
02:36A bell in Solin's cab tells him someone has pulled the cord, automatically activating the brakes.
02:45The woman slips from the train and disappears.
02:52Before the train can set off again, Solin needs to reset the alarm and rearm the brakes.
02:59It's an all-too-familiar procedure.
03:01It should only take a few minutes.
03:03But, nevertheless, Solin radios the control room to alert them to the hold-up.
03:096.40pm.
03:10Most of the passengers, fearing a long delay, leave the train to find another way to complete their journey.
03:16The remaining few resign themselves to a late arrival in Paris.
03:23Solin and Beauvais set about rearming the brake system, so the train can continue its journey to Garda-Lyon station.
03:33Garda-Lyon is the Paris rail station serving the south and east of the country.
03:39Behind its magnificent 19th century exterior lies one of Europe's most sophisticated rail hubs.
03:45It's one of France's busiest railway stations.
03:50With a mixture of intercity service and commuter trains serving the suburbs.
04:00The nerve centre coordinating all train movements is the station's control room.
04:05Duty manager tonight is André Tollence.
04:08He's in charge of safety and ensuring that the 360 trains into and out of the station run as smoothly
04:15as possible.
04:18Always at the back of his mind is the threat of terrorism.
04:22For the past seven years, Arab militant groups have been targeting Paris.
04:28They're protesting about French troops in war-torn Lebanon and demanding the release of Arab prisoners.
04:33Many of the attacks have been on trains in and out of the city.
04:406.45pm.
04:42Hurrying towards Garda-Lyon station to catch a train home is commercial assistant Colette Pacolet.
04:51She was late leaving the office and worries she'll miss her train.
04:56Colette is a recently divorced single mother and she's anxious to get back to her son, 13-year-old Nicholas.
05:05When I finish work, I automatically hurry back to take care of my son.
05:09I fix him something to eat and help him with his homework.
05:1740-year-old Dominique Pavie, who works at the Louvre Art Gallery, is also rushing to catch the same train.
05:25Like thousands of others, she's still grappling with a new summer timetable.
05:29With new train times and altered routes, it's a recipe for confusion and missed trains.
05:387.02pm.
05:40Solin has now fixed the brakes and the train is ready to depart for Paris.
05:44But it's taken him much longer than expected.
05:47The train is now 26 minutes behind schedule.
05:53Controller Tollens instructs Solin to skip the next scheduled stop, Maison Aisle 4, and travel non-stop to Garda-Lyon
06:00to make up time.
06:02But Solin's late train isn't Tollens' only headache.
06:087.04pm.
06:09There's now a problem on one of the commuter trains due to leave Garda-Lyon.
06:15It's the train that Colette and Dominique are rushing to catch.
06:22Commuter trains have a driver and a guard.
06:27Driver Andre Tongi is ready to go, but the guard is running late.
06:31Without him, the train can't leave.
06:33It's good news for single mother Colette Pacolet.
06:36She was worried that she would miss her train, so she's relieved it hasn't left.
06:41She even manages to secure her usual seat in the front carriage.
06:45The delay means more people pile onto the train.
06:51Another late arrival is Dominique Pavie.
07:00The train was packed. It was hot because it was summer.
07:04And being underground, it was hot and sticky.
07:11All the passengers and their driver Tongi can do is sit and wait for the guard to arrive.
07:16Their outbound train is on Platform 2,
07:18the same platform that the late running inbound service from Mélan is due to use.
07:24But they needn't worry.
07:26Signallers have pre-programmed a set of points
07:28to prevent Solan's train from going into Platform 2.
07:32500 metres before it reaches the station,
07:34the points will automatically switch,
07:37sending the train into empty Platform 1 instead.
07:417.07pm.
07:44Solan's inbound train is now travelling at over 95 km per hour.
07:48A yellow signal warns him he should start to slow down.
07:51Just ahead is a steep gradient leading into Gare de Lyon's station.
07:56He applies the brakes, but there is barely any response.
08:05To his horror, Solan realises that his brakes aren't working.
08:08He can't slow his train down.
08:12The 300-ton train is hurtling out of control.
08:16It's less than 2.5 km to the packed rush hour station.
08:23A runaway train with defective brakes races towards Paris' Gare de Lyon.
08:29It's rush hour, and the station is packed with commuters,
08:32including those waiting on a delayed outbound train.
08:45Daniel Solan, the driver, is getting desperate.
08:49He knows there should be a handbrake somewhere on the train.
08:53Guard Jean Beauvais hurries to look for it.
08:58We asked ourselves what was happening to us.
09:00We tried the brakes, but there was no response.
09:02So I decided to go down the train to look for handbrakes.
09:12Solan keeps trying the brakes.
09:14It slows the train, but only a little.
09:217.07 p.m. and 30 seconds.
09:24Solan radios a desperate warning to the control room.
09:27Stop everything! I've got no brakes! Stop everything! I've got no brakes!
09:31Panicking, Solan hits the train's radio alarm signal.
09:35It can't be heard by passengers who are still unaware of the danger.
09:39But it activates a high-pitched audio alarm in the Gare de Lyon control room
09:43and the drivers' cabs of all the commuter trains within the vicinity.
09:51Immediately, signalmen turn every green light to red.
09:55Drivers stop their trains wherever they are.
09:58Within seconds, the entire network grinds to a halt, apart from one train.
10:07Unable to do more from his cab, Solan hurries the remaining passengers to the rear of the train.
10:14At Gare de Lyon, the guard on the delayed outbound train has finally turned up.
10:19But now, driver Andre Tanguy's signal switches to red.
10:23He has no idea what's going on, and the high-pitched whistle on his radio means he can't use it
10:29to find out.
10:357.08 p.m.
10:38The runaway train hits the beginning of the steep 4-degree gradient that leads into the station.
10:44It picks up speed on the sharp descent.
10:478.08 p.m.
10:52Driver Solan manages to get all the passengers into the last carriage.
10:57They brace themselves for the inevitable impacts.
11:01There was a lot of panic.
11:04Train guard Beauvais is still desperately searching for a handbrake.
11:09I asked myself what was going to happen to me.
11:12Was this going to be my last moment?
11:207.08 p.m.
11:29In the second carriage, passenger Dominique Pavie has had enough of the wait.
11:42It was difficult to get off the train, as there were so many people.
11:47Excuse me, excuse me.
11:51Dominique has to squeeze past other passengers to get to the exit.
11:587.08 and 30 seconds.
12:02Signal operators catch sight of the runaway train rushing past them.
12:06Instead of being routed to empty platform one as planned,
12:09it's heading straight for Tanguy's packed commuter train.
12:17The signalmen immediately issue a warning over the station's public address system to evacuate the train.
12:23Attention, attention.
12:26Andre Tanguy hears it.
12:28He shouts over the train's intercom to evacuate the train fast.
12:33Evacuate the train! Evacuate the train!
12:37Passengers scramble to reach the doors.
12:427.08 and 45 seconds.
12:45Tanguy sees the runaway train heading straight for him.
12:49But he knows his train must still be packed with people trying to get off.
12:54Instead of jumping clear, he bravely stays on the intercom, repeating his warning to passengers.
12:59Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
13:0810 seconds later, 307 tons of runaway train smash into the commuter train on platform two.
13:22Dominique Pavie leaves the train just in time. She feels the impact of the massive collision
13:28just meters behind her. There was a great black dust cloud, a horrific black cloud that was
13:36suspended around the train. I could hardly see anything. The dust fell pretty quickly and it
13:42was then that I realized that one train had run into another. And the train that came down from
13:47the tunnel had split the first carriage of my train completely in two. On the runaway train,
13:56all the passengers have made their way to the rear. Most escape without serious injury.
14:06At the moment of impact, I was walking into the last carriage. I heard a great noise and felt a
14:12small shock. I didn't even fall over. I just grabbed a railing. But those still on Tanguy's
14:19stationary train do not fare so well. Tanguy doesn't stand a chance. The impact kills him instantly.
14:32Single mother Colette Pacalet is in the front carriage, which takes the full impact of the crash.
14:42First, I thought it could be a bomb. I don't remember how long it lasted.
14:4610 seconds, 20 seconds. I had no idea of time. I had just enough time to think,
14:52oh, I'm going to die. Papa, help me.
14:58Just seconds ago, Colette was looking forward to spending the evening with her young son.
15:03Now she lies trapped in the wreckage with dozens of other severely injured passengers.
15:09If she doesn't receive medical attention soon, she may not survive.
15:17A runaway train crashes into a packed commuter train at Paris' Gare de Lyon.
15:29A photojournalist captures the full horror of the collision just seconds later.
15:37A scene of total devastation confronts André Beauvais, the guard on the runaway train.
15:49I still see images, a kind of burning smell, and then people crushed in the carriage.
15:55I can still see all that, and just after the impact, the start of the groans.
16:00I just wanted to run away.
16:107.20 p.m.
16:1211 minutes after the disaster, the first rescue workers arrive at the Gare de Lyon.
16:20Dr. René Jankovici, a war-hardened surgeon who saw brutal fighting in the civil war in Chad,
16:26has never seen anything like it.
16:28It was like a tin of sardines that had been opened. It was totally horrific.
16:33There were bodies falling out of windows which were all cut up.
16:36You could see decapitated people, amputated people.
16:39It wasn't like surgery in wartime. It was worse than surgery in wartime.
16:44The scale of the disaster quickly becomes apparent.
16:48Rescue workers estimate there are over 100 people trapped in the crushed and twisted train.
16:55Khaled Pakale is one of them.
16:58The young mother is pinned between two seats in the first carriage.
17:06I don't realise that I'm crushed under the metal, or that a train has crashed into us.
17:11All that I'm thinking is that I want to get off the train.
17:167.30 p.m.
17:20Many of the passengers have suffered serious crush injuries in the collision.
17:24They must act fast.
17:26But there's a problem.
17:29The crumpled metal of the train prevents rescuers from reaching many of the survivors.
17:34Finally, the rescue team is able to free Colette from the metal seats trapping her.
17:4211 p.m.
17:45Colette is one of the lucky ones.
17:47Dozens of others are still trapped under tons of wreckage.
17:51Medics know that many will die from loss of blood and shock if they can't be rescued soon.
17:58Dr. Jankovitsi and his team have to make a grim decision.
18:02He realises the only way of freeing the most seriously injured in time is to amputate their trapped limbs.
18:10Once on the platform, the full extent of Colette's injuries becomes apparent.
18:16Her hip and pelvis are fractured, and she's now lost a dangerous amount of blood.
18:21Doctors fear she may not make it through the night.
18:28The mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, and the minister of transport visit the scene of the crash.
18:35The rail operator SNCF is a state-owned company.
18:39They want answers, and they want them quickly.
18:4412 noon.
18:47Now the weary emergency teams are recovering only bodies.
18:51The mangled trains are finally torn apart, and the runaway is pulled away for analysis by the accident investigation teams.
19:0056 people are dead, and 57 are injured.
19:06In hospital, Colette's heart stops beating, but doctors manage to resuscitate her.
19:11It's three months before she's well enough to go home to her son.
19:17Parisians grieve for the people killed in the Garda-Lyon train crash.
19:21It's the worst rail disaster in the French capital's history.
19:27But there is anger, too.
19:31France has one of Europe's most sophisticated rail networks.
19:37There are many safety procedures in place to prevent an accident like this.
19:42How did such a major disaster strike here?
19:47The runaway train was a Z5-300.
19:50There are up to 140 trains of the same design in use on rail routes into Paris.
19:55Since the brakes on Solène's train appear to have failed,
19:58could other trains of this type also harbor a hidden, fatal floor?
20:05The next day, the French government appoints a six-man team to conduct a state investigation.
20:12Now, by rewinding events and going deep into that investigation,
20:16we can reveal what really happened at the Garda-Lyon.
20:20Why did the train's brakes fail?
20:22Why did no one reroute the train to safety?
20:24And why did many passengers on Platform 2 find out too late
20:28that a runaway train was heading straight for them?
20:32Advanced computer simulation will take us where no camera can go,
20:36into the heart of the disaster zone.
20:47Investigators move the wrecked runaway train to a siding.
20:50Three days later, they begin an inch-by-inch examination of the shattered Hulk
20:54to find out what went wrong with its braking system.
21:00Jean-Pierre Pascal is the investigation team's chief technical advisor.
21:07He's head of the National Research Laboratory of Transport
21:11and an expert on rail braking systems.
21:15Pascal is shocked by the scale of the disaster.
21:21This accident at the Garda-Lyon is important because of the number of victims
21:25and the scale of the catastrophe.
21:28It was exceptional.
21:29It wasn't something that I could have even contemplated.
21:33I had never seen anything like it.
21:37Pascal knows that over the past seven years,
21:40terrorists have been bombing French trains.
21:45Are militants now using a deadly new tactic
21:48to cause carnage on the French rail network?
21:50Until investigators find out,
21:53thousands of innocent travellers must live in constant fear of attack.
21:59Jean-Pierre Pascal is investigating
22:02what caused a runaway train to crash at the Garda-Lyon,
22:05killing 56 people.
22:08His first job is to examine the crashed train.
22:11He knows the brakes failed and needs to understand why.
22:15As he sifts through the wreckage,
22:17he immediately finds something suspicious.
22:19It appears a crucial brake valve has been closed.
22:24The valve that feeds air down through the train
22:27to work the brakes was closed.
22:30It should have been open.
22:33It's a disturbing discovery.
22:35Did someone interfere with the brakes on the runaway train?
22:39Investigators must consider a shocking possibility
22:41that the runaway train was the victim
22:44of a deliberate act of sabotage.
22:53The brakes are powered by compressed air
22:55generated in the engine carriage.
23:00The air is forced down a pipe
23:02which runs the entire length of the eight-carriage train.
23:07Each carriage has an individual brake unit
23:10which gets air from this pipe.
23:13There's a valve on the pipe at the rear of the engine carriage.
23:16On the runaway train,
23:18the lever controlling this brake valve is shut,
23:22preventing air travelling through the train
23:24to power the brakes.
23:28The investigators believe there's only one possible conclusion.
23:32Somebody must have closed the valve.
23:36Pascal realises that whoever did this
23:39must have had specialist knowledge
23:40of the train's braking system.
23:45So he does not believe it bears the hallmarks
23:48of a terrorist attack.
23:50Yet it is clear that the valve has been shut.
23:58So who closed it?
24:01He questions the train's driver, Daniel Solin,
24:04and guard Jean Bovey
24:05to see if they can shed any light on the mystery.
24:11Solin tells him the brakes were working fine
24:13for the first 58 minutes of the journey.
24:20They even bring the train to a quick stop
24:23when someone pulls the emergency alarm
24:24at Verde Maison.
24:2733 minutes to disaster.
24:30The valve must have been closed
24:31after this event.
24:34Could the person who pulled the emergency cord
24:37be involved?
24:39Nobody can explain why she pulled the cord
24:41and she was gone before the guard could question her.
24:48The media puts out an appeal
24:50to find who pulled the emergency cord.
24:53The day after the crash,
24:55Odile Miroir, a 21-year-old single mother,
24:58comes forward.
25:01Miroir explains that she normally takes this train
25:03to Verde Maison to pick up her children from school.
25:06She doesn't know that the new summer timetable
25:09means the train no longer stops there.
25:14Panicking about not being at school in time,
25:16she pulls the emergency cord.
25:19It automatically activates the brakes
25:21throughout the train.
25:25Investigator Jean-Pierre Pascal concludes
25:27that her actions are irresponsible,
25:29but not suspicious.
25:33Now Pascal probes the guard, Beauvais,
25:36about what happened after the train
25:37was abruptly halted at Verde Maison.
25:40Guard Beauvais tells him
25:42that he goes to reset the emergency cord handle,
25:44but the handle is stuck.
25:46He can't shift it.
25:48The reset handle for the emergency brakes
25:50is between the first and second carriage.
25:54At the time, you had to go between two carriages.
25:57There was a small handle.
25:59It wasn't easy.
26:01The handle is also very close
26:03to the crucial brake valve lever
26:05that Pascal discovered had been moved.
26:10But neither man recalls anything untoward
26:12about the lever.
26:15The train driver Solan now has a go,
26:18but it's stuck fast.
26:23I didn't see exactly what he was doing.
26:25We were in a very small space.
26:27There were maybe 20 inches between the carriages.
26:31After several minutes of sweating,
26:34Solan finally shifts the handle,
26:36returning the brakes to normal.
26:38But when he returns to his cab,
26:40he discovers the brakes are still locked.
26:47Pascal is puzzled.
26:48Why didn't the standard resetting procedure
26:51unlock the brakes?
26:54He scrutinizes the layout of the braking system
26:57on the runaway train
26:58and discovers something intriguing.
27:03If the brake pipe lever is turned to the off position,
27:07a safety mechanism kicks in,
27:09keeping the brakes locked
27:10even after resetting the emergency cord.
27:14It's a fail-safe system to stop a train
27:17from going anywhere without pressurized brakes.
27:21Pascal had thought someone closed the valve,
27:23perhaps in an act of sabotage.
27:26Now, he suspects there may be another explanation.
27:29Could Solan have closed it by mistake?
27:32He examines his interview with Solan more closely.
27:41When we interviewed him,
27:42when we asked him questions,
27:43he admitted it.
27:45He said,
27:45I touched that lever to help myself get a good grip.
27:49He did it to try and free the handle
27:51he thought was stuck.
27:56It confirms Pascal's hunch.
27:58While trying to reset the emergency cord handle,
28:01Solan uses the main brake pipe lever
28:04to get more purchase.
28:06As he struggles with the emergency cord handle,
28:09he inadvertently moves the brake pipe lever,
28:11accidentally closing it.
28:15Solan thinks he simply reset the emergency cord handle.
28:24But by closing the brake pipe valve,
28:26he's cut off the air supply from the engine
28:28that feeds the brakes throughout the train.
28:31The brakes in the last seven carriages
28:33are now locked to the on position.
28:36But this gives Pascal another puzzle.
28:38If the brakes are left on,
28:40how does Solan get the train moving again?
28:42The only ways to release the locked brakes
28:44are by re-pressurizing the whole system
28:47or by manually unlocking each brake individually.
28:54Standard procedure dictates
28:56that Solan should call out the engineers,
28:58who probably would have detected
29:00his terrible mistake.
29:04But anxious to get going,
29:06Solan ignores the rules
29:07and tries to unlock the brakes himself.
29:10But crucially,
29:11he doesn't realize that he's moved the brake lever
29:13and that the system is locked
29:15due to lack of pressure.
29:18Instead,
29:18he's convinced the brakes are locked
29:20because of another common problem.
29:24He said to himself,
29:25I'm faced by a situation
29:27well known to rail women,
29:28which is a case of too much pressure.
29:31Solan believes there's an airlock
29:33in the brake system.
29:34This can sometimes happen
29:36when the emergency cord is pulled,
29:37causing too much pressure
29:39around the individual brakes.
29:41He thinks that if he can bleed
29:43some of it out,
29:44the airlock will dissipate
29:45and the brakes will unlock.
29:47Solan works his way
29:48along all seven carriages
29:50assisted by Beauvais.
29:55Mr. Solan purged the brakes
29:58until I said it was fine.
30:00I'm not really a technician,
30:01but I assisted his actions.
30:09It works.
30:10The brakes are freed.
30:12But Solan's actions
30:14are catastrophically misjudged.
30:19He has not cleared an airlock
30:21and reset the brakes to normal.
30:23Instead,
30:23he has bled away
30:24what precious little air
30:25there was left in the system.
30:33He's freed the brakes,
30:34but also inadvertently overridden
30:36one of the fail-safe systems.
30:38And with the main brake pipe valve closed,
30:40there's no way for new air
30:42to come in and replenish the system.
30:46With no air left in the system,
30:48the train has barely any brakes.
30:54Pascal and the team
30:55have uncovered
30:55a horrifying catalogue
30:57of human error.
30:58Solan not only disabled
31:00the main system
31:01for feeding air into the brakes,
31:03he then went on
31:04to painstakingly disarm the brakes
31:06on every passenger carriage.
31:10Solan is totally unaware
31:11of what he's done.
31:13He tells Pascal
31:14the brake system pressure gauge
31:15in his cab
31:16shows the correct reading.
31:19He takes it to mean
31:20all his brakes are working.
31:23In fact,
31:24when Solan closed
31:25the main brake valve,
31:26he isolated the driver's carriage
31:28from the rest of the train.
31:30The gauge is actually
31:31only showing the pressure
31:32in the first carriage.
31:357.02 p.m.
31:38Solan finally sets off again
31:39for Paris' Gare de Lyon.
31:42He's anxious to make up time
31:43and quickly reaches
31:44over 100 km per hour.
31:47Now a 300-ton train
31:49with one-eighth
31:50of the braking power it needs
31:51is heading for Gare de Lyon.
31:56But even now,
31:58there is still a chance
31:58to stop the train.
32:00According to the new
32:01summer timetable,
32:02there's one more scheduled stop
32:04at Maison Alfort,
32:06six and a half kilometers
32:07from Gare de Lyon station.
32:10Maison Alfort is on level ground.
32:12Had Solan tried his brakes here,
32:14then he would have had plenty
32:15of time to come to a natural stop
32:17a full four kilometers
32:18before reaching Paris.
32:21Pascal needs to find out
32:22why Solan didn't discover
32:24his brakes weren't working
32:25at Maison Alfort.
32:26He questions André Tolance,
32:28the duty controller,
32:29at Gare de Lyon that night.
32:32The train is now running
32:3426 minutes late
32:35and may throw other trains
32:37in the busy timetable
32:38off schedule.
32:40To make up lost time,
32:42Tolance orders Solan
32:43not to stop at Maison Alfort
32:44and to continue direct
32:46to Gare de Lyon.
32:49Six minutes from disaster,
32:51Solan drives straight
32:52through the station.
32:54The last chance
32:55to use his brakes
32:55before the hill
32:56down into Gare de Lyon
32:57is lost.
33:00Yet Pascal knows
33:01there are still
33:01two safety procedures
33:03in place
33:03to avert catastrophe.
33:09The train has a backup
33:10electric-powered brake.
33:13And at Gare de Lyon,
33:15station staff
33:15could have used the points
33:16to divert the runaway
33:18to an empty stretch of track.
33:20So why did they both fail?
33:24He turns to the last leg
33:26of the runaway train's journey
33:27to explore Solan's actions
33:29after he discovers
33:30his brakes are faulty.
33:33Two minutes from disaster.
33:36A yellow signal
33:37indicates to Solan
33:38to start slowing down.
33:40His train is just over
33:41one and a half kilometers
33:42from Gare de Lyon.
33:45Pascal analyzes
33:46the onboard tachograph
33:47which records
33:48the train's speed.
33:50It confirms that
33:52even with just one
33:53working brake,
33:54Solan does manage
33:55to slow the train down
33:56from 96 to just
33:5845 kilometers per hour.
34:01But then,
34:02he hits the four-degree incline
34:04heading down to the station
34:05and picks up speed again.
34:10Even now,
34:12Solan still has one last chance
34:13to slow down
34:14the runaway train.
34:20The investigators know
34:21that his train
34:22has an auxiliary
34:23electric-powered brake system.
34:25It's designed
34:26to slow trains
34:27going at high speed
34:28to save wear
34:29on the brake pads.
34:30They're puzzled.
34:32Why doesn't he use it?
34:35Solan reveals
34:36that Bobet did go
34:37in search of a handbrake
34:38in one of the carriages.
34:42But Pascal knows
34:44that even if he had found it,
34:45it would have been useless.
34:47The handbrake
34:48is only designed
34:49to stabilize
34:50a stationary train
34:51and is simply
34:52not powerful enough
34:53to stop a train
34:54at high speed.
34:55Yet the auxiliary brakes,
34:57which could have
34:58effectively slowed
34:59the train,
34:59are operated
35:00from the driver's cab
35:01right under
35:02Solan's nose.
35:04Why didn't
35:05Solan use them?
35:06Pascal discovers
35:08a loathing
35:08of the electric brake
35:09among drivers.
35:10They avoid using this brake
35:12because it can cause problems.
35:16The combination
35:17of air power
35:18and electric brakes
35:19can often cause jams,
35:20locking the wheels.
35:22In general,
35:23drivers don't use it.
35:27Solan was unaccustomed
35:28to using the electric brake
35:30and in his panic,
35:31he simply forgot
35:32it was there.
35:34Pascal calculates
35:35that if Solan
35:36had applied
35:37the electric brake
35:38in combination
35:38with the sole working
35:40air brake
35:40in the driver's carriage,
35:42he could have slowed
35:43the train enough
35:43to avoid
35:44a major collision.
35:48According to the calculations
35:50we made at the time,
35:51the impact
35:52would have been
35:52only slight.
35:53The train
35:54would have virtually stopped.
35:56But he didn't think of it.
36:01Solan's terrible oversight
36:03means he loses
36:04his last chance
36:04to halt
36:05the runaway train.
36:10But one safety system
36:12still remains
36:13at the station.
36:15Pascal turns
36:16to the actions
36:17of the station staff.
36:19Standard procedure
36:20when faced
36:20with the runaway train
36:21is to identify it
36:23and divert it safely
36:24to an empty stretch
36:25of track.
36:26So why didn't this happen?
36:30One and a half minutes
36:31from collision.
36:34Controller Tolonce
36:35tells Pascal
36:36that he hears
36:36Solan's distress call
36:38over the radio.
36:39Car de Lyon,
36:40I've got no brakes.
36:41Car de Lyon,
36:42I've got no brakes.
36:44In any communication
36:45with the controller,
36:46the driver should give
36:47his name
36:48and position.
36:49Stop everything.
36:50I've got no brakes.
36:51Stop everything.
36:53But in his panic,
36:55Solan makes
36:56a terrible mistake.
37:01He doesn't identify himself.
37:05Tolonce has no idea
37:06which train
37:07the distress call
37:07came from
37:08and Solan's voice
37:09is so distorted
37:10with emotion,
37:11Tolonce
37:12doesn't recognize him.
37:13And if he can't
37:14identify the train,
37:16he can't divert it.
37:19The controller
37:20tells investigators
37:21that when he tries
37:22to raise the mystery
37:23driver again,
37:24there's no response.
37:27Solan must have
37:28left his cab.
37:29They realize
37:30that this episode
37:31leaves Tolonce
37:32with a terrible predicament.
37:37All the controller
37:38knows is that
37:39the runaway train
37:40must be one of four
37:41trains bound
37:42for the underground platforms.
37:45Investigators learned
37:46that now Tolonce
37:47and his staff
37:47try to call
37:48all four drivers.
37:50If they can eliminate
37:52the three that are
37:52not in trouble,
37:53they'll be able
37:54to identify
37:55the runaway train
37:56and divert it
37:57to an empty stretch
37:58of track.
37:59But there's a problem.
38:01Before Solan
38:02left his cab,
38:03he hit the general alarm.
38:04It sent a high-pitched
38:06whistle through
38:06all trains on the network,
38:08telling drivers
38:09to pull up
38:09till they receive
38:10instructions.
38:12But it also means
38:13that drivers
38:14start to call Tolonce
38:15to find out
38:15what's going on.
38:17Tolonce explains
38:18that this barrage
38:19of calls
38:20prevents him
38:20from identifying
38:21the runaway
38:22in time
38:24to divert it.
38:27But investigators
38:28are about to discover
38:29that even at this stage,
38:30disaster was still
38:31not inevitable.
38:33On reaching the station,
38:35Solan's train
38:35was supposed to be
38:36routed into Platform 1,
38:38an empty platform.
38:40So how did it end up
38:42plowing into
38:43a packed commuter train?
38:49French investigator
38:51Jean-Pierre Pascal
38:51has discovered
38:52that the station staff
38:54couldn't divert
38:55the runaway train
38:55away from the
38:56packed commuter train
38:57because the driver
38:58failed to identify himself.
39:00But when Pascal
39:01explores the final moments
39:02before the collision,
39:03he makes a startling discovery.
39:05Pascal learns
39:07that Garda-Leon's
39:08train routing technology
39:09allows signallers
39:10to program the points
39:12in advance.
39:13He finds that
39:14the inbound train's
39:15route into the station
39:16should have been
39:16pre-programmed
39:17earlier that day
39:18before the crisis.
39:20The runaway train
39:21was on track 2S,
39:23heading for the commuter train
39:24on Platform 2.
39:25But 500 meters
39:27before the station,
39:28a set of points
39:29on the track
39:29was supposed to
39:30automatically switch
39:31Solan's train
39:32offline 2S
39:33and into Platform 1,
39:35which was empty.
39:39The runaway train
39:40would still have hit
39:41the buffers
39:42at the end of the track,
39:43but Pascal is convinced
39:44the crash would have been
39:45far less devastating.
39:48In my opinion,
39:49no one would have been hurt.
39:50The train would have been wrecked,
39:52but there would have been
39:53no injuries.
39:55Did the signallers
39:56forget to program the points?
39:59Pascal checks
40:00and finds there was
40:01no oversight.
40:02The signallers
40:04did their job correctly.
40:05So what went wrong?
40:08Pascal probes
40:10the final moments
40:10leading up to
40:11the fatal collision.
40:14He discovers
40:15that when signallers
40:16hear the general alarm,
40:18the regulations demand
40:19that they initiate
40:20what's called
40:21the general closure procedure.
40:24It's a drastic measure.
40:26All signals now turn red,
40:28stopping all trains
40:29moving anywhere on the lines
40:30in and out of Gare de Lyon.
40:35But the closure procedure
40:37has drastic consequences
40:38that the signallers
40:39could not foresee.
40:41It destroys the last chance
40:43to avert catastrophe.
40:46In order to give the signallers
40:48full manual control
40:49of the network,
40:50it overrides
40:51all automatic
40:52pre-programming
40:53of routes.
40:54The points
40:55no longer
40:56automatically
40:56reroute Solan's train
40:58into an empty platform.
41:00Instead,
41:01the points lock
41:02into their current position.
41:03The collision
41:04is now unstoppable.
41:10It's the final piece
41:12of the puzzle.
41:13Investigators
41:14can now understand
41:15the extraordinary
41:15convergence of events
41:17that caused
41:17the Gare de Lyon
41:18train crash.
41:19How a runaway train
41:21was left speeding
41:22towards Paris.
41:23Why all the safety
41:24procedures failed.
41:26And how a final
41:27twist of fate
41:28left hundreds of
41:29homeward-bound rail
41:29passengers
41:30seconds from disaster.
41:3433 minutes
41:35to disaster.
41:37On the
41:37Mail-On to Paris train,
41:39a young woman
41:39pulls the emergency
41:40cord slamming
41:41on the brakes.
41:43The emergency
41:44cord must be reset
41:45to return the brakes
41:46to normal
41:46before the train
41:47can depart.
41:48While doing so,
41:50Daniel Solan
41:50inadvertently closes
41:52the air supply
41:52to the brakes,
41:53rendering them useless
41:54and locked on.
41:5720 minutes
41:58to disaster.
41:59Solan
42:00wrongly diagnoses
42:01an airlock
42:01and bleeds air
42:02from the brakes
42:03to clear it.
42:08Seven minutes
42:09to go.
42:09The inbound train
42:11resumes its fatal
42:12journey to Gare de Lyon
42:13station.
42:13But what no one
42:14knows is that
42:15it now has just
42:16a tiny fraction
42:17of its normal
42:18braking power.
42:20Two minutes
42:21to impact.
42:23Solan tries
42:24the brakes
42:25but gets almost
42:26no response.
42:27He radios
42:28the station
42:29but forgets
42:30to identify himself
42:31or his train.
42:3390 seconds
42:35to disaster.
42:37Solan hits
42:38the emergency alarm.
42:39It prompts
42:40signalers
42:41to override
42:41the automatic
42:42routing system
42:43that would take
42:43the runaway train
42:44to an empty platform.
42:46It sets the runaway train
42:47on a collision course
42:49with the PAX commuter train
42:50on platform two.
42:52disaster is now inevitable.
42:5615 seconds
42:58to disaster.
42:59Delayed driver
43:00Andre Tanguy
43:01now sees
43:02the onrushing train.
43:03He orders
43:03his passengers
43:04to evacuate
43:05fast.
43:06As the train
43:07heads straight
43:07for him
43:08he stays
43:08at his post
43:09desperately
43:10repeating
43:10his warning.
43:15The collision
43:16claims
43:1756 lives.
43:20Investigators
43:21conclude
43:22that had it not
43:23been for Tanguy's
43:23brave self-sacrifice
43:25many more people
43:26would have died.
43:28The self-effacing
43:30Andre Tanguy
43:30emerges as the hero
43:32of the
43:32Garde-Lyon tragedy.
43:39Pascal and the
43:40investigation team
43:41found that the
43:42main cause
43:42of the Garde-Lyon crash
43:44was driver error.
43:46But they also
43:47highlighted
43:47several technical
43:48and safety shortcomings
43:50in the rail system.
43:51They found
43:52that the brake pipe lever
43:53was too easily accessible
43:54and vulnerable
43:55to sabotage.
43:56The radio system
43:58was over complex
43:58and drivers
43:59needed more training
44:00in its use.
44:02And they recommended
44:03that signalers
44:04should be able
44:04to turn all signals
44:05to red
44:06without automatically
44:07overriding
44:08pre-programmed routes.
44:13Odile Mirroir
44:15who pulled
44:15the emergency cord,
44:17Daniel Sola
44:18and controller
44:19Andre Tolance
44:19all faced
44:20criminal charges
44:21for their role
44:22in the accident.
44:24Tolance and Mirroir
44:25were cleared.
44:26Daniel Sola
44:27served six months
44:28of a four-year
44:29prison sentence
44:29for manslaughter.
44:33survivor Colette
44:34Pakele
44:34made a full recovery.
44:36However,
44:36she remains angry
44:37that the buck
44:38stopped with Sola,
44:39the runaway train driver.
44:40She believes
44:41the train company
44:42should also
44:43take responsibility.
44:48My feeling
44:49is that the SNCF
44:51is at fault,
44:51the SNCF
44:52as a whole.
44:53It's not one person
44:54or two people.
44:55it's a whole bunch
44:57of things
44:57that went wrong
44:58that day.
45:05Although she had
45:06a lucky escape,
45:07Dominique Parvy
45:08remained haunted
45:09by the fact
45:10that she survived
45:11when so many perished.
45:15Then in 2002,
45:17she decided
45:17to attend
45:18a remembrance service
45:19at the Gare de Lyon.
45:21There she met
45:22relatives of the dead
45:23for the first time.
45:27And then something
45:28happened I'll never forget,
45:30something very moving.
45:31Five or six people
45:32stayed behind
45:33and moved closer
45:34to me and said,
45:35Madame,
45:36you're the only link
45:37with our dead.
45:38And that was something
45:39I'd never imagined.
45:46In the wake of the tragedy,
45:48SNCF introduced
45:49a raft
45:49of new safety measures.
45:51An intercom system
45:52allowing passengers
45:53to talk directly
45:54to the driver
45:55will replace
45:56the emergency cord system.
45:58It'll mean
45:59that only the driver
46:00can activate
46:00the brakes
46:01in an emergency.
46:02It overhauled
46:04its driver training program
46:05and phased out
46:06brake pipe levers.
46:07And radio communication
46:09on the network
46:10was upgraded.
46:13Hard lessons
46:14were learned
46:15from the tragic events
46:16of the Gare de Lyon.
46:17Modernization came
46:18at a high price.
46:20But in the wake
46:21of the disaster,
46:22France now has
46:23one of the safest
46:23and most technologically
46:25advanced rail networks
46:26in Europe.
46:41for this
46:42of the Gare de Lyon.
46:42You
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