Tretten train disaster

The Tretten train disaster occurred on 22 February 1975 when a northbound train (no. 351) from Oslo and a southbound express train (no. 404) from Trondheim, both loaded with vacationing skiers,^[1] collided head-on 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) north of Tretten station.^[2] With 27 killed, including seven children under 16,^[3] and 25 injured, it was the worst train crash in Norwegian peacetime history.^[4] One accident victim was from the United States^[5] while the rest were Norwegians, including the politician Tønnes Andenæs. Altogether there were around 800 passengers on the two 12-car trains. Most of those killed were in one car of the northbound train. The operators of both trains survived; one jumped from the cab before the collision. The accident happened because the northbound train, running late, did not wait at Tretten station to let the other pass.^[3] One train driver told a newspaper that it was difficult to see the signals because the sun was low in the sky.^[6] A station master had cut power to the trains and attempted to warn them, but too late.^[7]

In the aftermath of the disaster new safety precautions were discussed and introduced.^[8]

References

Railway accidents in 1975 (1975) Location and date Tretten, Norway (22 February) Moorgate, United Kingdom (28 February) Nuneaton, United Kingdom (6 June) 1974 1976

Coordinates: 61°19′00″N 10°19′00″E / 61.3167°N 10.3167°E / 61.3167; 10.3167