View source for List of rail accidents (1970–1979)

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{{train topics}}
This is a '''list of rail accidents from 1970 to 1979'''. For a list of terrorist incidents involving trains, see [[List of terrorist incidents involving railway systems]].
{{Lists of rail accidents years}}
==1970==
* February 1 – ''Argentina'' – '''[[Benavídez rail disaster]]''': A [[San Miguel de Tucumán|Tucumán]]–[[Buenos Aires]] express train collided with a standing local train south of Benavídez railroad station {{convert|29|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Buenos Aires. 142 people were killed, 368 injured (though some sources state 236 killed).
*February 16 – ''Nigeria'' – A train crowded with [[Eid al-Adha|Eid al-Kabir]] pilgrims derailed at Langalanga about 27&nbsp;km southeast of [[Gusau]], with several cars falling down an embankment. About 150 were killed; reportedly, 52 of the injured were killed in a truck crash on the way to hospital.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=180}}
* March 22 – ''United States'' – [[Branford, Connecticut|Branford]], [[Connecticut]]: A [[Penn Central]] freight train derailed on the Shore Line Division (now the [[Northeast Corridor]]) in Branford center. 25 of the 86 cars derailed, demolishing Branford Station (a passenger shed at the time), and tore up a {{convert|1/2|mi|m|adj=on|spell=in}} of track. The cause of the accident was the breakage of an overheated axle on a car loaded with 83 tons (75&nbsp;t) of steel, which dragged the derailed cars off with it.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}
* May 20 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Audenshaw Junction rail accident]]''': A Class 506 [[electric multiple unit]] derailed at Audenshaw Junction, [[Cheshire]] due to a set of points moving under it. Two people were killed and 13 were injured. The cause of the accident was irregular practices by a signalman.<ref name=Audenshaw>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoE_Audenshaw1970.pdf |title=Report on the Derailment that occurred on 20th May 1970 at Audenshaw Junction near Guide Bridge |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |date=22 April 1971 |accessdate=1 May 2015}}</ref>
*June 21 - ''United States'' - A [[Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway]] train derailed in downtown [[Crescent City, Illinois]]. A [[propane]] tank car ruptured and explosions caused fires that destroyed the city center. Over 60 firefighters and civilians were injured.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/93/Crescent%20City%20Train%20Derailment,%201970.pdf|title=CRESCENT CITY TRAIN DERAILMENT: JUNE 21, 1970|website=Ideals.illinois.edu|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
* July 15 – ''United Kingdom'' – A [[British Rail Class 411|4BEP]] electric multiple unit collided with a [[lorry]] on a level crossing at {{rws|Chartham}}, Kent, killing two people.{{sfn|Moody|1979|p=211}}
* August 9 – ''Spain'' – A train from coastal resorts to [[Bilbao]] collided with a freight train at [[Plentzia]], killing 33 people and injuring about 200.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=180}}
* October 31  – ''India'' – A ''[[Mangalore Mail]]'' crashes into a stationary Cochin Mail at the [[Perambur railway station|Perambur station]], [[Madras]], killing 16 and injuring 108.<ref>{{cite news|title=Perambur train smash toll 16|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QIJlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ep4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2416%2C1012514|accessdate=13 February 2018|work=The Indian Express|date=2 November 1970}}</ref>
* December 6 – ''United States'' – '''[[1970 Lehigh Valley Railroad derailment]]''': Twenty-five cars of a [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]] freight train derailed in Le Roy, New York. A toxic chemical spill led to the scene becoming a [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] [[Superfund site]] in 1999. Over 40 years later, the spill was briefly thought to have caused an [[Le Roy, New York#2011 illness outbreak|illness outbreak]] in the town.
* December 31 – ''Iran'' – Two trains collided at [[Ardakan]] due to a signalman's error; a government source indicates 15 people killed, but journalists reported at least 70, with 130 injured.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=181}}
==1971==
[[File:1971 Salem, Illinois derailment aerial.jpeg|thumb|Salem, Illinois]]
* January 18 – ''Switzerland'' – Two commuter trains collided between [[Feldmeilen]] and [[Herrliberg]], killing six people and injuring 17.<ref name=Blick>{{cite news |url=http://www.blick.ch/news/schweiz/westschweiz/sbb-crash-in-der-waadt-der-lokfuehrer-ist-tot-id2389147.html |title=SBB-Crash in der Waadt: Der Lokführer ist tot |trans-title=SBB crash in Vaud: The driver is dead |newspaper=Blick |language=de |accessdate=30 July 2012}}</ref>
* February 9 – ''West Germany'' – [[Aitrang]]: The [[Trans Europ Express|TEE]] 56 ''[[Bavaria (train)|Bavaria]]'', a [[SBB RAm TEE]] [[diesel multiple unit|DMU]], traveling from [[Munich]] to [[Zürich]], derailed while passing a curve shortly after Aitrang station. The maximum speed in the curve was 80&nbsp;km/h, however the train passed the curve at 130&nbsp;km/h due to frozen water in the [[air brake (rail)|air brake]]. Shortly after the TEE derailed, a [[railbus]] hit the wreckage from the opposite direction. 28 people died, 42 were injured.<ref name="EK-Jahrbuch 1971">{{cite book|title=Eisenbahn-Kurier Special #43: Die DB 1971|publisher=EK-Verlag, Freiburg}}</ref>
* February 14 – ''Yugoslavia'' – In a tunnel near [[Vranduk (Zenica)|Vranduk]] (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), a fire broke out in the diesel-electric locomotive of a passenger train, which then spread to the other cars, killing at least 34.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=181}}
* February 26 – ''United Kingdom'' – A passenger train made of five [[British Rail Class 414|2HAP]] [[electric multiple unit]]s overran the [[buffer stop|buffers]] at {{rws|Sheerness-on-Sea}}, [[Kent]] and demolished the station building, killing one person and injuring ten.{{sfn|Moody|1979|p=212}}
* March 11 – ''Chile'' – '''[[Gualliguaica rail accident]]''': A passenger train ran away on a downslope from Vicuña to Cresta de Gualliguaica and plunged into a ravine; killing 12.
* May 4 – ''United Kingdom'' – On the [[Northern Line]] of the [[London Underground]], a train entered the reversing siding at [[Tooting Broadway tube station|Tooting Broadway]] after offloading passengers and crashed into the end of the tunnel at {{convert|20-30|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The driver, who was killed, was apparently reading a book.{{sfn|Rolt|Kichenside|1982|p=297}}
* May 27 – ''West Germany'' – '''[[Dahlerau train disaster]]''': At [[Radevormwald]], a special [[railbus]] service carrying schoolchildren and a freight train collided on the [[Wuppertal]]–Radevormwald single-track line near [[Dahlerau]] station. The local dispatcher claimed to have signalled a red light to the freight train, while the freight train engineer claimed to have seen a green one. Ultimately, the case was not resolved as the dispatcher was killed in a car accident before legal hearings started. 41 people died, 25 were injured in the worst rail accident in West Germany during [[Deutsche Bundesbahn]] era. The crash led to the phasing out of the ''Nachtbefehlsstab'' ("Nighttime Command Staff"), and presses DB to introduce radio communications on branch lines.<ref name="EK-Jahrbuch 1971" />
* June 10 – ''United States'' – '''[[1971 Salem, Illinois, derailment]]''': [[Amtrak]] train number 1, the northbound ''[[City of New Orleans (train)|City of New Orleans]]'' derailed at {{convert|90|mph|0}} due to a false flange on a flat wheel caused by a seized axle bearing. Eleven people died and over were 150 injured in Amtrak's first major incident.{{sfn|Shaw|1978|p=332}}
* July 2 – ''United Kingdom'' – At [[Tattenhall]] Junction, the track shifted under a passing 10-car special school excursion train from [[Rhyl]] to [[Smethwick]] due to thermal stress and derailed the last three cars, killing two children and injuring 26 people.{{sfn|Rolt|Kichenside|1982|pp=252–253}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Report on the Derailment that occurred on 2nd July 1971at Tattenhall Junction near Chester on the London Midland Region British Railways|url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoE_Tattenhall1971.pdf|author=C.F. Rose}}</ref>
* July 21 – ''West Germany'' – [[Bad Bellingen|Rheinweiler]]: D 370 from [[Basel]] to [[Copenhagen]] passed a 75&nbsp;km/h curve at about 140&nbsp;km/h and derailed, destroying a detached house, killing 23 people and injuring 121. The suspected reason for the accident was a technical failure in the [[DB Class 103|Class 103]] engine's automatic [[cruise control]] mechanism, leading to the engine gaining too much speed. The cruise control was consequently disabled and restricted speed zones were equipped with [[Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung|PZB]].<ref name="EK-Jahrbuch 1971" /><ref>{{cite news|publisher=Badische Zeitung|title=Schweiz-Expreß bei Rheinweiler entgleist: 25 Tote|date=1971-07-22}}</ref>
* August 4 – ''Yugoslavia'' – [[Interurban]] train Belgare-Požarevac collided with a freight train between the [[Kasapovac]] and [[Lipe train station|Lipe]] stations near [[Vrčin]]. 39 people were killed and 73 injured.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=6 August 1971 |title=СТРАВИЧНИ СУДАР НА ПРУЗИ |url=https://istorijskenovine.unilib.rs/view/index.html#panel:pp&#124;issue:UB_00064_19710806&#124;page:6 |journal=Borba |pages=6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 September 1971 |title=ИСТРАГА О НЕСРЕЋИ КОД ВРЧИНА ПРИ КРАЈУ |url=https://istorijskenovine.unilib.rs/view/index.html#panel:pp&#124;issue:UB_00064_19710901&#124;page:7 |journal=Borba |pages=7}}</ref>
* August 28 – ''Switzerland'' – A train derailed in the [[Simplon Tunnel]], killing five people.<ref name=Blick/>
* October 6 – ''United Kingdom'' – A 24-car freight train ran away on the downgrade from [[Beattock Summit]] toward [[Carlisle]] due to stopcocks in the air-brake line being closed. It collided with the train ahead, killing one crew member on that train.{{sfn|Rolt|Kichenside|1982|pp=265–266}}
* October 19 – ''United States'' – 20 cars of Missouri Pacific Railroad train No. 94 derailed in [[Houston]]; two tank cars loaded with vinyl chloride monomer were punctured, allowing the gas to escape and ignite; 45 minutes after the derailment a third tank car exploded and a fourth was "rocketed" some {{convert|300|ft|m}} away; a fireman was killed and 50 were injured.
* October 26 – ''Japan'' – On the [[Kintetsu Railway|Kinki Nippon Railway]], between [[Osaka]] and [[Nagoya]], a head-on collision killed 23 people.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=182}}
==1972==
* January 9 – ''United Kingdom'' – An engineers train overran signals and rear-ended an [[electric multiple unit]] at {{rws|Horsham}}, [[West Sussex]]. The train crew had failed to perform a brake check before departing from {{rws|Three Bridges}} and failed to discover that the isolation cocks between the two locomotives had not been opened. Fifteen people are injured.{{sfn|Moody|1979|pp=216–17}}
* January 16 – ''Greece'' – '''[[Orfana rail disaster]]''' – A breakdown in communication between the stationmasters at [[Doxaras railway station|Doxaras]] and [[Orfana railway station|Orfana]] caused an express train and a military relief train to collide in bad weather on the single track line. The southbound diesel hauled '''Acropolis Express''' and northbound Number 121 Athens-Thessaloniki, (known as '''posta''') were allowed to proceed<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/i-sidirodromiki-tragodia-poy-epevale-ta-radiotilefona-stis-amaxostoichies-dyo-trena-sygkroystikan/|title = Η σιδηροδρομική τραγωδία που επέβαλε τα ραδιοτηλέφωνα στις αμαξοστοιχίες. Δύο τρένα συγκρούστηκαν γιατί οι σταθμάρχες διαφωνούσαν μεταξύ τους. Η δίκη και η τιμωρία|date = January 2020}}</ref> without first allowing a [[passing loop]]. 21 people died, and more than 40 were injured<ref name="Δερβένι Κορινθίας (1968) - Δοξαράς Λάρισας (1972): Δύο πολύνεκρα σιδηροδρομικά δυστυχήματα">{{Cite web|url=https://www.protothema.gr/stories/article/932279/derveni-korinthias-1968-doxaras-larisas-1972-duo-polunekra-sidirodromika-dustuhimata/|title = Δερβένι Κορινθίας (1968) - Δοξαράς Λάρισας (1972): Δύο πολύνεκρα σιδηροδρομικά δυστυχήματα|date = 5 October 2019}}</ref> in one of the deadliest rail accidents in Greece.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iteakarditsas.blogspot.com/2014/03/1972.html|title=Ιτέα Καρδίτσας: Το πολύνεκρο δυστύχημα τραίνων στα Ορφανά το 1972}}</ref><ref name="mixanitouxronou.gr">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/i-sidirodromiki-tragodia-poy-epevale-ta-radiotilefona-stis-amaxostoichies-dyo-trena-sygkroystikan/|title = Η σιδηροδρομική τραγωδία που επέβαλε τα ραδιοτηλέφωνα στις αμαξοστοιχίες. Δύο τρένα συγκρούστηκαν γιατί οι σταθμάρχες διαφωνούσαν μεταξύ τους. Η δίκη και η τιμωρία|date = January 2020}}</ref> [[Nikolaos Gekas]]<ref name="Δερβένι Κορινθίας (1968) - Δοξαράς Λάρισας (1972): Δύο πολύνεκρα σιδηροδρομικά δυστυχήματα" /> The stationmaster at Orfana was later sentenced to 5 years for his part in the disaster.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/i-sidirodromiki-tragodia-poy-epevale-ta-radiotilefona-stis-amaxostoichies-dyo-trena-sygkroystikan/|title=Η σιδηροδρομική τραγωδία που επέβαλε τα ραδιοτηλέφωνα στις αμαξοστοιχίες. Δύο τρένα συγκρούστηκαν γιατί οι σταθμάρχες διαφωνούσαν μεταξύ τους. Η δίκη και η τιμωρία|date=January 2020}}</ref>
* March 24 – ''United States'' – '''[[Gilchrest Road, New York crossing accident]]''': a school bus was struck by a freight train at a level crossing in [[Rockland County, New York]], near the New York City suburbs of [[Congers, New York|Congers]] and [[Valley Cottage, New York|Valley Cottage]], killing five students. The bus driver was convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to probation; the accident also led the U.S. to require school buses to stop at all grade crossings they encounter.
* March 31 – ''South Africa'' – A derailment on the approach to a bridge at Potgietersrus (now [[Mokopane]]), possibly due to sabotage, killed 38 people and injures 174.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=182}}
* April 26 – ''India'' – A derailment north of [[Bangalore]] killed 21 and injured 37.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=182}}
* May 8 - ''United Kingdom'' - '''[[Chester General rail crash]]''': A freight train collided with empty coaching stock stopped at {{rws|Chester}}, as a result of a brake failure. The resulting fire caused significant damage to the station.
* June 3 – ''Poland'' – Ślesin, (near Bydgoszcz): A train [[Kolobrzeg]]–[[Warsaw]] derailed on fatigue rail&nbsp;, killing 12 people and injuring 26.<ref>[http://www.petka.pl/wypadki/wypadek_slesin_zielonczyn.htm]{{dead link|date=January 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
* June 4 – ''Bangladesh'' – A crowded passenger train from [[Khulna]] crashed into a stationary freight train at [[Jessore District|Jessore]] after the stationmaster threw the wrong switch, killing 76 people and injuring about 500.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=182}}<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.history.ca/history-topics/latest/june-4-1972-trains-collide-in-bangladesh/| title=June 4, 1972—Trains collide in Bangladesh| publisher=History Canada| date=2017-06-04| accessdate=2018-03-23| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325171544/http://www.history.ca/history-topics/latest/june-4-1972-trains-collide-in-bangladesh/| archive-date=March 25, 2018| url-status=dead}}</ref>
* June 6 - ''Indonesia'' - In [[West Java]], a train carrying pine wood rolled over near Cukanghaur train station, killing a crew member of the train and the station master, and injuring seven people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kecelakaan Kereta Api di Cukanghaur|url=https://www.sejarahbandung.id/kecelakaan-kereta-api-di-cukanghaur/|access-date=2024-01-05|website=sejarahbandung.id|language=id}}</ref>
* June 11 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Eltham Well Hall rail crash]]''': An excursion train took a bend at excessive speed and derailed at [[Eltham]], London. The driver and five passengers were killed, and 126 people injured. The subsequent investigation established that the driver had been drinking.
* June 17 – ''France'' – After 110 years in service, the roof of a tunnel at [[Vierzy]] collapsed without warning. Passenger trains in both directions between [[Paris]] and [[Laon]], both moving about {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}, crashed into the rubble and each other. 108 were killed and 240 injured.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|pp=182-183}}{{sfn|Kichenside|1997|p=68}}
* July 21 – ''Spain'' – A [[Madrid]]-to-[[Cádiz]] train collided near [[Jerez de la Frontera|Jerez]] with a local train that failed to obey signals, killing 76 and injuring 103.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=183}}
* August 8 – ''Pakistan'' – At [[Liaqauatpur|Liaqatpur]] on the line between [[Lahore]] and [[Karachi]], an express was misrouted onto a side track where a freight train was standing; there were between 38{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=183}} and 65{{sfn|Haine|1993|p=178}} deaths.
* September 29 – ''South Africa'' – All but the first-class cars of a 9-car passenger train from [[Cape Town]] to [[Bitterfontein]] derailed near [[Malmesbury, Western Cape|Malmesbury]] due to excess speed; between 48{{sfn|Haine|1993|p=188}} and about 100{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=183}} people were killed.
* October 4 – ''Mexico'' – At [[Saltillo]], a train carrying people from a festival at [[San Luis Potosí City|San Luis Potosí]] entered a downhill curve at about {{convert|75|mph|km/h|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} or twice the speed limit and derailed nine cars, killing 208 people and injuring 700. The engineer was found to have been drinking and was nearly lynched.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=183}}{{sfn|Haine|1993|p=142}}<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/08/archives/death-toll-rises-to-172-in-mexican-train-wreck.html| title=Death Toll Rises to 172 In Mexican Train Wreck| newspaper=New York Times| date=1972-10-08| accessdate=2018-03-24}}</ref>
* October 12 – ''United Kingdom'' – A freight train rear-ended an [[electric multiple unit]] at {{rws|Wimbledon}}, London due to an error by the freight driver, injuring twelve people.{{sfn|Glover|2001|p=138}}
* October 30 – ''United States'' – '''[[1972 Chicago commuter rail crash|Chicago commuter rail crash]]''', Two [[Illinois Central Railroad]] commuter trains collided after one train, having overshot a station stop, backs into the station, killing 45 people and injuring over 300.{{sfn|Shaw|1978|pp=361–363}}
* October 30 – ''East Germany'' – [[Schweinsburg-Culten]]: The driver of Ext&nbsp;346 ([[Leipzig]]–[[Karlovy Vary]]) failed to notice a stop signal on a single-track stretch of line because of dense fog and collided with D&nbsp;273 heading toward Berlin, killing 22 people and injuring 70.<ref name="DBDR1958">{{cite web|url=http://www.gerdboehmer-berlinereisenbahnarchiv.de/Statistiken/BBU-DR-DB.html|title=Bahnbetriebsunfälle der DR und DB ab 1958|author=Gerd Böhmer}}</ref>
* October 31 – ''Turkey'' – A passenger train and a train carrying oil collided at [[Eskişehir]], starting a fire and causing several cars to go down a cliff; at least 30 were killed, and about 50 injured.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=184}}
* November 6 – ''Japan'' – A fire broke out in the dining car of the [[Japanese National Railways]]' ''Kitaguni'' night train from [[Osaka]] to [[Aomori, Aomori|Aomori]], at {{convert|13.87|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} Hokoriku Tunnel (between [[Tsuruga, Fukui|Tsuruga]] and [[Imajō, Fukui|Imajō]] on the [[Hokuriku Main Line]]). One crew member and 29 passengers were killed by carbon monoxide and 714 people were injured.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=184}}<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Association for the Study of Failure| title=Train Fire in Hokuriku Tunnel| url=http://www.shippai.org/fkd/en/cfen/CA1000605.html| accessdate=2018-03-24| last=Nakao| first=Masayuki}}</ref>
*[[File:Locomotief ontspoord en in sloot terechtgekomen bij Halfweg, Bestanddeelnr 926-0451.jpg|thumb|Halfweg]] November 22 – ''Netherlands'' – '''[[Railway accident near Halfweg (1972)]]''' – the locomotive of a work train derailed in [[North Holland]].
* December 16 – ''United Kingdom'' – two electric multiple unit passenger trains collided at Copyhold Junction, West Sussex after a driver misread signals, injuring 25 people.{{sfn|Moody|1979|p=219}}
== 1973 ==
* January 30 – ''Hungary'' – '''[[1973 Kecskemét level crossing disaster|Kecskemét level crossing disaster]]''': A bus disregarded crossing signals and booms and was crushed by a train, killing 37 people and injuring 18.
* February 1 – ''Algeria'' – A derailment killed 35 people and injured 51.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=201}}{{better source needed|date=March 2018}}
* February 6 – ''United States'' –  [[Littlefield, Texas]]: A Santa Fe freight train crashed into a schoolbus, killing 7 children and injuring 16.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bus-Train Crash Kills 7: Wreck Rips West Texas School Vehicle|date=February 7, 1973|work=The Dallas Morning News}}</ref>
* March 9  – ''United States'' – [[White Haven, Pennsylvania]]: A runaway train crashed into the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad Engine House, White Haven|Lehigh Valley Railroad Engine House]], damaging the southeast corner of the building<ref>{{cite web|last=Golias |first=Paul |url=http://m.citizensvoice.com/news/railroad-engine-house-lives-on-as-library-1.1552685 |title=Railroad engine house lives on as library – News – Citizens' Voice |publisher=M.citizensvoice.com |date=2013-09-16 |accessdate=2014-06-12}}</ref>
* March 18 – ''United States'' – [[East Palestine, Ohio]]: Amtrak's westbound ''[[Broadway Limited]]'' derailed in a heavy snowstorm, killing one Penn Central employee riding on a pass, and injuring 19 passengers.<ref>United Press International, "''Amtrak Special Derailed During Ohio Snowstorm''", Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Monday, 19 March 1973, page 2.</ref>
* May 10 - ''Canada'' - [[Stettler, Alberta]]. A Canadian National Railways 'Dayliner"  struck a vehicle on the regular Edmonton-to-Drumheller line at an uncontrolled crossing, {{convert|19|km|mi|abbr=on}} south and {{convert|1|mi|m|adj=on|spell=in}} west of Stettler. All six teenagers in the car were killed.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34245797/fenn-deaths/ | title=Fenn deaths | newspaper=Red Deer Advocate | date=11 May 1973 | page=1 }}</ref>
* July 10 – ''East Germany'' – [[Leipzig]]: The driver of a commuter train failed to notice a diversion, causing the train to derail and hit the signal box of [[Leipzig-Leutzsch railway station]]. Four people are killed, 25 injured.<ref name="DBDR1958" />
* August 27 – ''Poland'' – [[Radkowice]], (near [[Kielce]]): A [[Zakopane]]–[[Warsaw]] passenger train slammed into 20 cars which break away from a freight train&nbsp;, killing 16 people and injuring 24.<ref>[http://www.petka.pl/wypadki/wypadek_wolica_sitkowkananowiny.htm]{{dead link|date=January 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
* October 10 – ''United States'' – [[Bronx, New York]]: A commuter train from Brewster derailed on [[Penn Central Railroad|Penn Central]]'s [[Harlem Division]] at 155th Street in the Mott Haven Yard. It crashed into a [[Railway signal#Gantry mounting|signal gantry]] bringing it down on top of the train. There were two minor injuries.<ref name="NYT19731011">{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E01E4D81639E73ABC4952DFB6678388669EDE | title=Penn Central Derailment Holds Up 40,000 Riders | work=New York Times | date=October 11, 1973 | accessdate=November 25, 2015 | author=Lindsey, Robert | pages=47}}</ref>
* December 17 – ''Brazil'' – An express passenger train collided [[head-on collision|head-on]] with a freight train on the outskirts of [[Salvador, Bahia]], killing 18 people and injuring 40.<ref>Veja archives [http://veja.abril.com.br/acervodigital/ O maior da Bahia/ Veja (magazine) n<sup>o</sup>277, December 26, 1973, page 25], Retrieved in July 2009</ref>
* December 19 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Ealing rail crash]]''': An express passenger train derailed at [[Ealing Broadway railway station|Ealing Broadway station]] after a loose battery-box door on the locomotive hauling it struck point rodding, causing a set of points to move under the locomotive. Ten people were killed and 94 were injured.{{sfn|Vaughan|1989|pp=225–28}}
== 1974 ==
* February 12 – ''United States'' – A [[Delaware and Hudson]] freight train derailed {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} north of [[Oneonta, New York]]. 54 people (most of them firefighters) were injured after a propane car that had been punctured and two other propane tanker cars exploded. Several nearby homes were also damaged in the blast.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thedailystar.com/localnews/x1196431492/Man-recalls-catastrophic-train-wreck-40-years-later/?state=taberU | title=Man recalls catastrophic train wreck 40 years later | work=The Oneonta Daily Star| publisher=Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.| first=Joe| last=Mahoney | date=February 12, 2014 | accessdate=February 12, 2014}}</ref>
* March 26 – ''Switzerland'' – A train derailed at [[Moutier]], killing three people and injuring 13.<ref name=Blick/>
* March 27 – ''Portuguese Mozambique'' – '''[[Magude train disaster]]''': A passenger train collided with a freight train carrying petroleum products. 70 people were killed and 200 injured after the petroleum exploded, melting several passenger coaches.
* July 19 – ''United States'' – [[Decatur, Illinois]] – A tanker car containing isobutane collided with a [[Norfolk and Western Railway|Norfolk & Western]] boxcar causing an explosion that killed seven people, injured 349, and caused $18 million in property damage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gendisasters.com/illinois/13000/decatur-il-tank-cars-explode-july-1974|title=Decatur, IL Tank Cars Explode, July 1974 - GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods|website=Gendisasters.com|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
* August 12 – ''United States'' – [[Wake Forest, North Carolina]]: The Amtrak [[Silver Star (Amtrak train)|Silver Star]] derailed while navigating a curve, injuring 28.<ref name="WFFD">[http://www.wakeforestfire.com/-our-history.html Wake Forest Fire Department, Our History], Retrieved Apr. 6, 2016.</ref><ref name="INDEPENDENT">''Independent-Journal'', 'Amtrak Train Derails In North Carolina', UPI, August 13, 1974, page 28, Retrieved Apr. 16, 2016.</ref>
* August 13 – ''Ireland'' – [[Rosslare Strand|Rosslare]]: Two passenger trains collided head-on at {{rws|Rosslare Strand}}, injuring 15 people.<ref name=Rosslare>{{cite web |url=http://www.raiu.ie/download/pdf/accident_rosslare.pdf |title=REPORT OF INQUIRY INTO THE COLLISION THAT OCCURRED AT ROSSLARE STRAND STATION ON 13th AUGUST 1974 |author=Department of Transport and Power |publisher=The Stationery Office via Rail Accident Investigation Unit |date=March 1975 |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref>
* August 30 – ''Yugoslavia'' – '''[[Zagreb train disaster]]''': An express train from [[Athens]] to [[Dortmund]] derailed at [[Zagreb]] railway station due to excessive speed, killing 152 passengers and injuring 90.
* October 31 – ''India'' – On an express train from [[Delhi]] to [[Calcutta]], a fire started after a passenger's [[fireworks]] exploded at Mohanganj.<!-- Not the place of that name that's in Wikipedia; that's in Bangladesh. Google Maps shows two other places named Mohanganj that are near the route, but not on it. --> Between 43 and 52 people were killed and about 60 injured.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=201}}{{sfn|Haine|1993|p=143}}
* September 21 – ''United States'' – [[Houston, Texas]] – At [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]]'s Englewood Yard hump, two "jumbo" tank cars collided with an empty tank car which caused it to ride over the coupler of a loaded tank car and puncture the tank head. Butadiene spilled from the car and formed a vapor cloud, which dispersed over the area. After 2–3 minutes, the vapor exploded, killing one person and injuring 235.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAR7507.aspx|title=Railroad Accident Report RAR-75-07|website=Ntsb.gov|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
* October 21 – ''Ireland'' – [[Gormanston, County Meath]]. A passenger train ran away driverless and collided with another passenger train at {{rws|Gormanston}}, a third passenger train was struck by the two wrecked trains. Two people were killed and 29 were injured.<ref name=Gormanston>{{cite web |url=http://www.raiu.ie/download/pdf/accident_gormanstown.pdf |title=REPORT OF INQUIRY INTO THE COLLISION THAT OCCURRED AT GORMANSTON RAILWAY STATION ON 21ST OCTOBER, 1974. |publisher=Department of Transport and Power via Rail Accident Investigation Unit |location=Dublin |date=January 1975 |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref>
==1975==
* February 22 – ''Norway'' – '''[[Tretten train disaster]]''': A passenger train from [[Oslo]] collided head-on with an express train from [[Trondheim]], killing 27 people.
* February 28 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Moorgate tube crash]]''': A driver fails to stop a [[London Underground]] train at [[Moorgate station]] and continued into the dead-end tunnel beyond, killing 43 people.
* April 4 – ''Soviet Union'' – '''[[Žasliai railway disaster]]''': passenger train hits a tank car carrying fuel, derailed, and caught fire, killing 20 people and injuring 80. It remains the worst rail disaster in Lithuania.<ref name=15min>{{cite web |date=4 April 2019 |title=Ten žmonės degė gyvi: kaip prieš 44 metus įvyko didžiausia traukinių avarija Lietuvos istorijoje? |url=https://www.15min.lt/ar-zinai/naujiena/idomi-lietuva/ten-zmones-dege-gyvi-kaip-pries-44-metus-ivyko-didziausia-traukiniu-avarija-lietuvos-istorijoje-1162-1125848 |publisher=15min.lt |language=lt |accessdate=12 May 2019}}</ref>
* May 22 – ''Morocco'' – A derailment near [[Kenitra]] killed at least 34 people.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=203}}
[[File:Nuneaton crash aftermath.jpg|thumb|Clearing the wreckage at Nuneaton]]
* June 6 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Nuneaton rail crash]]''': The driver of a [[Euston railway station|London Euston]]-to-[[Glasgow Central railway station|Glasgow]] train missed a temporary speed restriction at [[Nuneaton railway station|Nuneaton]] because the propane-burning lamps on the marker sign had run out of fuel. The train derailed, killing six people and injuring 38.{{sfn|Rolt|Kichenside|1982|pp=295–297}}
* June 8 – ''West Germany'' – Two passenger trains collided head-on between [[Lenggries]] and [[Warngau]] due to errors by dispatchers at both stations. 41 people were killed (38 passengers, 2 drivers, 1 conductor) and 122 were injured.{{sfn|Kichenside|1997|pp=50-51}}
* June 12 – ''Canada'' – At [[Simcoe, Ontario]], a freight train loaded with newly built cars passing through town derailed at a bridge over a road. The locomotive plunged onto the pavement and burst into flames. Two men in the cab died, a third was seriously injured, and blockage of the road effectively split the town in half.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
[[File:Freight Train June 12, 1975, Reginald Cook.jpg|thumb|Derailment in Simcoe, Ontario, June 12, 1975]]
* July 22 – ''West Germany'' – A regional train passed a signal at danger and crashed head-on into a freight train which was crossing the tracks in [[Hamburg]]-Hausbruch, killing 11 passengers and seriously injuring 65. Investigations revealed that the distance between the signal and place of danger was so short that automated braking would not have prevented the crash.{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}}
* September 11 – ''United Kingdom'' – A [[diesel-electric multiple unit]] collided with an [[electric multiple unit]] at Bricklayers Arms Junction, London. One of the trains had passed a signal a danger, but which appeared to the driver to be showing a proceed aspect due to the reflection of sunlight from his cab. 62 people were injured.{{sfn|Moody|1979|pp=230–31}}
* September 29 – ''Argentina'' – Two passenger trains collided in Río Luján, killing 32 and injuring 100.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.santafe.gov.ar/hemerotecadigital/diario/31498/|title=Hemeroteca Digital - Diarios Históricos en Internet - Prov. Santa Fé - República Argentina|website=Santafe.gov.ar|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tapas.clarin.com/tapa.html#19750930|title=Mirá esta #TapadeClarin que encontré|website=Clarin Portadas Históricas|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
* October 20 – ''Mexico'' – A [[Mexico City Metro]] train crashed into another at [[Metro Viaducto]] station. Between 31 and 39 people were killed, and between 71 and 119 were injured. It is considered the worst accident recorded on the system.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/esp220.html |language=es |title=La tragedia olvidada |accessdate=July 10, 2014 |work=[[El Universal (Mexico City)|El Universal]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140604195000/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/esp220.html |archive-date=June 4, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eluniversaldf.mx/home/nota17457.html|language=es|title=Escenas impactantes en el Metro capitalino|accessdate=July 10, 2014|date=December 30, 2010|work=El Universal|first=Juan Pablo|last=González|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233214/http://www.eluniversaldf.mx/home/nota17457.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* October 26 – ''United Kingdom'' – A passenger train came to a standstill at [[Lunan, Angus]] due to the failure of the locomotive hauling it. Assistance is sent for, but an incorrect location was given, causing the rescue locomotive to rear-end the train at {{convert|25|mph|km/h}}. One person was killed and 42 were injured.{{sfn|Trevena|1981|p=46}}
* December 12 – ''Canada'' – A [[Toronto Transit Commission]] bus, whose rear doors worked erratically due to a missing wire-retaining screw, was immobilized by its own safety features after the doors opened on a level crossing on St. Clair Avenue near [[Scarborough GO Station]]. Before all the passengers can be evacuated, a [[GO Train]] running express from [[Pickering GO Station|Pickering]] to [[Toronto Union Station|Toronto]] smashed into it, killing nine bus passengers and injuring about 20.<ref>{{cite news|title= 8 killed in GO Train – bus crash|newspaper= Globe and Mail|date= 13 December 1975|pages= 1–2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Missing screw is blamed for 9 bus crash deaths|newspaper= Globe and Mail|date= 6 February 1976|pages= 1–2}}</ref>
* December 31 – ''Ireland'' – Near [[Gorey]], [[County Wexford]], a passenger train derailed on a bridge damaged by a vehicle crashing into it, killing five people and injuring 43.<ref name=Gorey>{{cite web |url=http://www.raiu.ie/download/pdf/accident_gorey.pdf |title=REPORT OF THE INQUIRY INTO THE ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED NEAR GOREY, CO. WEXFORD ON 31ST DECEMBER 1975. |publisher=Department of Transport and Power via Rail Accident Investigation Unit |location=Dublin |date=July 1977 |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref>
== 1976 ==
* January 2 – ''United Kingdom'' – A light engine rear-ended a parcels train at Worcester Tunnel Junction, [[Worcestershire]], killing both crew.{{sfn|Hoole|1982|p=48}}
* February – ''Switzerland'' – A head-on collision on the [[Yverdon–Ste-Croix railway|Yverdon–Ste-Croix]] line killed seven and injured 40.<ref name=Blick/>
* February 7 – ''United States'' – '''[[1976 Beckemeyer crossing accident]]''': A Baltimore & Ohio freight train struck an overloaded pickup truck at an unprotected grade crossing in Beckemeyer, Illinois, killing 12 people, mostly children, and injuring three others.
* May 4 – ''Netherlands'' - [[1976 Schiedam train accident|Schiedam train disaster]]: An international train collided with a local train, killing 24 people and injuring 11.
* May 23 – ''South Korea'' – At a level crossing in [[Seoul]], a train collided with a tanker truck carrying flammable liquid, killing 20 people.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=204}}
* July 23 – ''Switzerland'' – A ''Riviera Express'' train derailed at [[Brig-Glis|Brig]], killing six people and injuring 32.<ref name=Blick/>
* August 1 – ''Japan'' – Two trains collided head on at [[Imabashi Station]], injuring 210 people.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6wFNAQAAIAAJ&q=%22%E4%BB%8A%E6%A9%8B%E9%A7%85%22 |title=Encyclopedia japonica: Jiji hyakka |date=1977 |publisher=小学館. |language=ja|page=168}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=小林修 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVA3AAAAMAAJ&q=%22%E4%BB%8A%E6%A9%8B%E9%A7%85%22 |title=年表昭和の事件・事故史 |date=1989 |publisher=東方出版 |isbn=978-4-88591-220-7 |language=ja}}</ref>
* September 9 – ''South Africa'' – A local train to the [[Township (South Africa)|black township]] of [[Daveyton]] rear-ended an express stopped for signals at [[Benoni, Gauteng|Benoni]]; 31 people were killed, all on the local. The cause is not determined except that sabotage is ruled out.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=204}}
* September 20  – ''Yugoslavia'' – A passenger train and an express train (''[[Orient Express|Direct Orient Express]]'') collided head-on on the [[Ljubljana]]-[[Postojna]] rail line, between the stations of [[Preserje, Brezovica|Preserje]] and [[Notranje Gorice]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=21 September 1976 |title=У судару возова 17 погинулих |url=https://istorijskenovine.unilib.rs/view/index.html#panel:pp&#124;issue:UB_00064_19760921&#124;page:1 |journal=Borba |volume=LV |issue=261 |pages=1}}</ref> 18 people were killed.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |date=14 September 1979 |title=Најтеже железничке несреће |url=https://istorijskenovine.unilib.rs/view/index.html#panel:pp&#124;issue:UB_00064_19790914&#124;page:4 |journal=Borba |issue=254 |pages=4}}</ref>
* October 10 – ''Mexico'' – A two-car [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]]–[[Los Mochis]] passenger train collided head-on with a standing freight train and plunged to the bottom of a {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=off|adj=on}} embankment, near [[Copper Canyon]], Chihuahua, killing 24 people and injuring 60. Some of the passengers were riding on the roof.<ref>Mexican [[TV Azteca]] and [[Televisa]] reports</ref> Railroad employees reported seeing about 60 cadavers; farm laborers' deaths were not counted by authorities.
* November 3 – ''Poland'' – A [[Lublin]]–[[Wrocław]] express whose crew had fallen asleep rammed a standing passenger train at Julianka railroad station, [[Kielce]], [[Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship|Świętokrzyskie]], killing 25 people and injuring 79.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petka.pl/wypadki/wypadek_julianka.htm |title=Grzegorz Petka - prywatna strona kolejowa |accessdate=2011-04-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419142156/http://www.petka.pl/wypadki/wypadek_julianka.htm |archive-date=2009-04-19 }}</ref>
* November 26 – ''United States'' – A defective fissure caused the derailment of several Burlington Northern Railways train cars carrying tanks of propane, butane, and fuel oil as it was passing through the small town of Belt, Montana. Two people were killed and 22 injured.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
==1977==
* January 18 – ''Australia'' – '''[[Granville rail disaster]]''': 83 people died after a train [[derailment|derails]] and hit a bridge support, causing the bridge to collapse and crush part of the train. This is Australia's worst railway accident.
* January 19 – ''India'' – Near [[Benares]], a passenger train collided with a stationary train, killing 28 and injuring 78.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=205}}
* February 4 – ''United States'' – '''[[1977 Chicago Loop derailment|Chicago Loop derailment]]''', [[Chicago]]: In the worst accident in the system's history, a [[Chicago Transit Authority]] [[Chicago "L"|elevated train]] [[Motorman (locomotive)|motorman]] disregarded cab signals and rear-ended another train on the [[Chicago Loop|Loop]] curve at Wabash and Lake Streets during the evening rush hour. Eleven people are killed and over 180 injured while four cars of the rear train derailed and fell to the street below. The motorman was discovered to have [[marijuana]] in his possession, although it was never determined if he was impaired in any way.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicago-l.org/mishaps/loop.html|title=Chicago ''L''.org: Mishaps & Unusual Occurrences - The Loop Crash|website=Chicago-l.org|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
* February 28 – ''Spain'' – A head-on collision of two crowded [[Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya|Catalan Railways]] suburban trains about {{convert|12|mi|km|sigfig=1}} from [[Barcelona]] killed 22 people.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=205}}
* May 30 – ''India'' – A flood-weakened bridge collapsed under a train about {{convert|70|mi|km|sigfig=2}} from Gauhati (now [[Guwahati]]). The locomotive and four cars fell into the river and 85 people were killed.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=205}}
* June 27 – ''East Germany'' – '''[[Lebus train collision]]''': Because of a dispatcher working under the influence of medication, at Booßen station, near [[Frankfurt (Oder)]], a holiday train from [[Zittau]] to [[Stralsund]] was diverted onto the branch line to [[Küstrin-Kietz|Kietz]], where it {{ill|lt=collided with a freight train|Eisenbahnunfall von Lebus|de|vertical-align=sup}}, killing 28 people, including the crew of the holiday train; the dispatcher was jailed for five years.<ref name="DBDR1958" />
* July 9 – ''Poland'' – [[Psie Pole]], near [[Wrocław]]: Express "Czech-Russian Friendship" Prague-Moscow collided with locomotive which passed signal at danger: 11-32 people were killed and 15-40 were injured.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petka.pl/wypadki/wypadek_dlugoleka.htm |title=Grzegorz Petka - prywatna strona kolejowa |accessdate=2011-04-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623064340/http://www.petka.pl/wypadki/wypadek_dlugoleka.htm |archive-date=2009-06-23 }}</ref>
* September 5 – ''United Kingdom'' – Due to faulty wiring in a lineside relay cabinet, a mail train and a passenger train collided head-on at Farnley Junction, [[Leeds]], [[West Yorkshire]], killing two people and injuring fifteen.{{sfn|Trevena|1981|p=47}}
* September 8 – ''Egypt'' – As an 11-car [[Cairo]]-to-[[Aswan]] express passes [[Asyut]] at about {{convert|70|mph|km/h|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}, eight cars derailed. Newspapers reported 70 people killed, but official sources said only 25.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=205}}
* October 10 – ''India'' – Deluxe express passenger train 103 from [[Howrah]] to [[Amritsar]] rear-ended a freight at [[Naini]], killing at least 61 and injuring 151, 81 seriously.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|pp=205-206}}<ref>{{cite web| url= https://image.slidesharecdn.com/367854bf-22f3-4d35-9c6d-abe05cbe11e9-160615171028/95/final-thesis-printbrijesh-dixiteco-deptmum-uni25th-jan-2016-34-638.jpg?cb=1466010664 | title=Economics of Safety on Indian Railways| first=Brijesh| last=Dixit| publisher=University of Mumbai| date=January 2015| page=20| accessdate=2018-03-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Sudha Srivastava vs Claims Commissioner| last=Shukla| first=R.K. (judge)| url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/709523/| publisher=Indian Kanoon}}</ref>
* November 12 – ''Mexico'' – A [[National Railroad of Mexico|National Railroad]] passenger train collided with a gasoline truck at a grade crossing south of [[Ciudad Juárez]], killing 37 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrhs.com/almanac/rr-almanac-1960-1979.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-09-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009042625/http://nrhs.com/almanac/rr-almanac-1960-1979.pdf |archive-date=2010-10-09 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FreePdfViewer.aspx?img=101244817] {{dead link|date=January 2019}}</ref>
* November 27 – ''East Germany'' – [[Bitterfeld]]: The boiler of a [[DRG Class 01|Class 01]] steam engine [[boiler explosion|exploded]] for lack of water, killing nine and injuring 45.<ref name="DBDR1958" /><ref>{{cite news|publisher=BZ am Abend|title=Lokomotive explodierte auf dem Bahnhof Bitterfeld|date=1977-11-27}}</ref>
==1978==
* January 4 – ''Turkey'' – A head-on collision of two passenger trains at [[Esenköy, Çınarcık|Esenköy]] killed at least 30 people and injured at least 100.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=206}}
* February 24 – ''United States'' – '''[[Waverly, Tennessee, tank car explosion|Waverly tank car explosion]]''', [[Waverly, Tennessee]]: A [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] freight train derailed; one tank car containing [[liquefied petroleum gas]] exploded two days later, killing 16 people and injuring 43. Numerous buildings in downtown Waverly were destroyed or damaged by the blast and resulting fires.
* February 25 – ''Argentina'' – A passenger train collided with a truck in Sa Pereira, [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]], killing 55 and injuring 56.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.santafe.gov.ar/hemerotecadigital/diario/32350/|title=Hemeroteca Digital - Diarios Históricos en Internet - Prov. Santa Fé - República Argentina|website=Santafe.gov.ar|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tapas.clarin.com/tapa.html#19780226|title=Mirá esta #TapadeClarin que encontré|website=Clarin Portadas Históricas|accessdate=20 January 2019}}</ref>
* April 15 – ''Italy'' – Due to a landslide, the locomotive of a [[Lecce]]–[[Milan]] train collided with a [[Bolzano]]-Rome train in [[Murazze di Vado]], [[Bologna]] and derailed, killing 48 people and injuring 76.<ref name="quotidiano" />
* July 6 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Taunton sleeping car fire]]''', [[Taunton]], England: A fire aboard a [[British Rail]] sleeping car travelling from [[Penzance railway station|Penzance]] to [[London Paddington railway station|London Paddington]] killed 12 people. Investigation showed that the fire was caused by the careless placement of a plastic bag of linens against a heater in the car's vestibule.
* September 10 – ''United States'' – Due to a [[hot box|hotbox]], 15 cars of a [[Conrail]] freight train derailed at a [[Level crossing|grade crossing]] in [[Miamisburg, Ohio]], demolishing a house and killing its three occupants. The ensuing investigation by the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] and the local police department resulted in a ruling of homicide in the deaths by the [[Montgomery County, Ohio|Montgomery County]] Coroner.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
* July 16 – ''Australia'' – [[Queensland Rail]] (QR) train No.242 (loaded with interstate fruit) at [[Cooroy railway station|Cooroy]] lost control while travelling down the Cooroy-Eumundi Range, a 1:50 (2%) gradient. The locomotive and most of the wagons rolled and derailed on a right-hand curve. Some of the wagons landed on top of the derailed locomotive which had crashed into a small embankment. The driver's assistant was killed and the driver was injured. The Cooroy-Eumundi range was regraded to a less steep gradient.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}
==1979==
* January 4 – ''Turkey'' – An accident near [[Ankara]] killed 16 people.<ref name=NYT>{{cite journal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/10/archives/turkeys-2d-train-crash-in-week-kills-30-hospitalizes-nearly-100.html |title=Turkey's 2d Train Crash in Week Kills 30, Hospitalizes Nearly 100 |journal=The New York Times |date=January 10, 1979 |accessdate=17 March 2023}}</ref>{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=206}}
* January 9 – ''Turkey'' – A rear-end collision between two commuter trains near Ankara killed 30 people and injured about 100.<ref name=NYT/>{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=206}}
* January 26 – ''Bangladesh'' – Near [[Chuadanga District|Chuadanga]], a train derailed and overturned, killing at least 70 and injuring at least 300.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=206}}
* April 8 – ''United States'' – [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] freight train No. 403 derailed between [[Milligan, Florida]] and [[Crestview, Florida]]. A punctured tank car then leaked [[anhydrous ammonia]], injuring 14.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/1979/I79_13.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616155853/https://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/1979/I79_13.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* April 16 – ''United Kingdom'' –  '''[[Paisley Gilmour Street rail accident|Paisley Gilmour Street accident]]''': head-on collision between two DMU trains after starting signal was passed at danger in a case of "[[ding-ding, and away]]". Both drivers and five passengers were killed and 67 passengers and a guard were injured. The rule change that led to the crash was reversed.
* May 29 – ''Canada'' – A [[UAC TurboTrain]] operated by [[Via Rail]] on westbound service from Montréal to Toronto caught fire near [[Morrisburg, Ontario]] after developing an oil leak. A third of the train was totally destroyed. This was the last major incident for the troubled Turbo Trains, which were retired in 1982.<ref name="spacing.ca">{{cite magazine |last1=Bateman |first1=Chris |title=Remembering the ill-fated CN Turbo train |magazine=Spacing Magazine |date=9 December 2015 |url=http://spacing.ca/toronto/2015/12/09/53711/ |access-date=30 May 2021}}</ref>
* July 10 – ''Italy'' – A [[Pompeii]]-Naples and Naples-[[Herculaneum]] commuter train collided head-on in [[Cercola]] near [[Mount Vesuvius]], [[Naples]], killing 14 people and injuring 70.<ref name="quotidiano">{{cite news|work=[[Il Sole 24 Ore]] |date=January 7, 2004 |accessdate=July 1, 2009 |url=http://quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com/2005/01/07/5366640-TRAGEDIA-SUI-BINARI-.shtml |title=Tragedia sui binari |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704053447/http://quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com/2005/01/07/5366640-TRAGEDIA-SUI-BINARI-.shtml |archive-date=July 4, 2009 }}</ref>
* August 21 – ''Thailand'' – A head-on collision of freight and passenger trains at [[Taling Chan District|Taling Chan]] killed 52 people and injured about 200.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=206}}
[[File:Treinongeluk op de spoorlijn Nijmegen-Den-Bosch Opname van de ravage 30 aug.1979 F53943.jpeg|thumb|Aftermath of the Nijmegen disaster.]]
* August 28 – ''Netherlands'' – '''[[Nijmegen train collision]]''': Eight people died after two passenger trains collided head-on at [[Nijmegen]].<ref name="leeuwacht">{{cite news | url=http://www.archiefleeuwardercourant.nl/vw/article.do?id=LC-19790904-3013&vw=org&lm=treinramp%2Cnijmeg | title=Achtste slachtoffer treinramp Nijmegen | work=Leeuwarder Courant | date=September 4, 1979 | accessdate=March 3, 2012|language=nl}}</ref>
* September 13 – ''Yugoslavia'' – '''[[Stalać rail crash]]''': A head-on collision of freight and passenger trains at [[Stalać]] (now in Serbia), when a goods train violated signals, possibly because the driver was asleep, and crashed into a passenger train bound for [[Skopje]], killing at least 60 people.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|pp=206-207}}
* October 2 – ''United States'' – The ''[[Southwest Chief|Southwest Limited]]'' derailed at [[Lawrence, Kansas]]. Two people were killed and 69 were injured. The cause is excessive speed on a curve.<ref name=RAR804>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RAR8004.pdf |title=Derailment of Amtrack train No. 4 The Southwest Limited on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company Lawrence, Kansas October 2, 1979 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=April 29, 1980 |accessdate=15 March 2016}}</ref>
* October 3 – ''Ireland'' – A passenger train and a freight train collided head-on at {{rws|Arklow}}, [[County Wicklow]], injuring 29 people.<ref name=Arklow>{{cite web |url=http://www.raiu.ie/download/pdf/accident_arklow.pdf |title=REPORT OF THE INQUIRY INTO THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT ON THE CIE RAILWAY AT ARKLOW, CO WICKLOW ON 3rd OCTOBER, 1979 |publisher=Department of Transport via Rail Accident Investigation Unit |location=Dublin |date=July 1982 |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref>
* October 12 - ''United States'' - '''[[Harvey, Illinois train collision]]''': The Amtrak Shawnee collided head-on into a stopped [[Illinois Central Gulf]] freight train, and derailed, killing two people and injuring 38.
* October 22 – ''United Kingdom'' – '''[[Invergowrie rail accident]]''': A [[railway semaphore signal|semaphore signal]] failed to return completely to danger, and was apparently interpreted wrongly as clear, the resulting accident killed five people.
* October 30 – ''Djibouti'' – A freight train—with passengers riding in its empty cars, and unusually many of them due to [[Eid al-Adha]]—en route from [[Dire Dawa]], Ethiopia, to [[Djibouti (city)|Djibouti City]] ran away due to brake failure and derailed at a bridge near [[Holhol]] station, which some cars smashed into. 63 people were killed and 90 injured, mostly women and children.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=207}}<ref>{{cite web| url=http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAM119.pdf| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220221706/http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNAAM119.pdf| archive-date=2017-02-20| publisher=U.S. Agency for International Development| title=OFDA Disaster Case Reports: Djibouti Train Wreck: October 30, 1979| accessdate=2018-03-25}}</ref>
* November 10 – ''Canada'' – '''[[1979 Mississauga train derailment|Mississauga train derailment]]''' in [[Mississauga, Ontario]]: [[tank car]]s containing [[propane]] and [[chlorine]] derailed due to a [[hot box]], causing a propane fire that burned for days and released chlorine. More than 250,000 residents were evacuated from the city, the largest peacetime [[emergency evacuation]] in North American history [[Effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans|until Hurricane Katrina in 2005]].
* November 16 – ''Ireland'' – {{rws|Dalkey}}, [[County Dublin]]. One passenger train collided with another, injuring 36 people.<ref name=Dalkey>{{cite web |url=http://www.raiu.ie/download/pdf/accident_dalkey.pdf |title=REPORT INTO THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT AY DALKEY, CO. DUBLIN ON 16TH NOVEMBER 1979 |publisher=Department for Tourism and Transport via Rail Accident Investigation Unit |date=October 1987 |accessdate=16 May 2014}}</ref>
* December 3 – ''India'' – A derailment at [[Londa, Karnataka]] killed 23 people and injured at least 12.{{sfn|Semmens|1994|p=207}}
== See also ==
{{Portal|Railways}}
* [[List of road accidents]] – includes [[level crossing]] accidents.
* [[List of rail accidents in Canada]]
* [[List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of Russian rail accidents]]
* [[Years in rail transport]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== Sources ==
*{{cite book |last=Earnshaw |first=Alan |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 5 |year=1989 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Penryn |isbn=0-906899-35-4 }}<!--{{sfn|Earnshaw|1989|p=}}-->
*{{cite book |last=Earnshaw |first=Alan |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 6 |year=1990 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Penryn |isbn=0-906899-37-0 }}<!--{{sfn|Earnshaw|1990|p=}}-->
*{{cite book |last=Earnshaw |first=Alan |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 7 |year=1991 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Penryn |isbn=0-906899-50-8 }}<!--{{sfn|Earnshaw|1991|p=}}-->
*{{cite book |title=Southern Electric |first=John |last=Glover |publisher=Ian Allan |location=Hersham |year=2001 |isbn=0-7110-2807-9}}
*{{Cite book |last=Haine |first=Edgar A. |year=1993 |title=Railroad wrecks |publisher=Associated University Presses |isbn=978-0-8453-4844-4 }}
*{{cite book |last=Hall |first=Stanley |title=The Railway Detectives |year=1990 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=London |isbn=0-7110-1929-0 }}
*{{cite book |last=Hoole |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Hoole |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 3 |year=1982 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Redruth |isbn=0-906899-05-2 }}<!--{{sfn|Hoole|1982|p=}}-->
*{{cite book |last=Hoole |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Hoole |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 4 |year=1983 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Truro |isbn=0-906899-07-9 }}<!--{{sfn|Hoole|1983|p=}}-->
*{{cite book |first=Geoffrey |last=Kichenside |year=1997 |title=Great Train Disasters |publisher=Siena Books |location=Bristol |isbn=0-75252-630-8 }}
*{{cite book |title=Southern Electric 1909–1979 |first=G. T. |last=Moody |orig-year=1957 |year=1979 |edition=Fifth |publisher=Ian Allan Ltd |location=Shepperton|isbn=0-7110-0924-4 }}
*{{Rolt-Red |year=1982}}
*{{cite book |last=Semmens |first=Peter |year=1994 |title=Railway Disasters of the World: Principal Passenger Train Accidents of the 20th Century |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd|isbn=1-85260-323-2}}
*{{Shaw-RailroadAccidents}}
*{{cite book |last=Trevena |first=Arthur |title=Trains in Trouble: Vol. 2 |year=1981 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=Redruth |isbn=0-906899-03-6 }}<!--{{sfn|Trevena|1981|p=}}-->
*{{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Adrian |title=Obstruction Danger |year=1989 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Limited |location=Wellingborough |isbn=1-85260-055-1 }}
*"Freight Train Wreck at Houston." ARR Stories: Freight Train Wreck. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2016.
==External links==
* [http://www.northeast.railfan.net/wreck.html Railroad train wrecks 1907–2007]
{{Rail accidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Rail Accidents (1970-1979)}}
[[Category:Lists of railway accidents and incidents|Rail accidents 1970-1979]]
[[Category:20th-century railway accidents]]