Tag: train

UPDATED: 54 people injured in Barcelona train crash

by Josep Lago with Diego Urdaneta in Madrid Agence France Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — A commuter train slammed into the end of the platform during the morning rush hour at a busy station in the Spanish city of Barcelona on Friday, leaving 54 people injured, emergency services said. One person was seriously injured, 19 were injured “less seriously” including the driver and 34 were lightly injured, local emergency services said on Twitter. The regional […]

Explosion rocks Brussels train station, one suspect shot: Belgian media

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — An explosion rocked the central train station in Brussels on Tuesday and a man was shot by police during the incident, prosecutors told Belgian media. The incident took place around 1900 GMT, causing the city’s Gare Centrale to be evacuated. The nearby Grand Place, a major tourist destination, was also evacuated. “A crowd panicked in the station and ran for the tracks after an incident,” said Arnaud Reyman, spokesperson for Infrabel, […]

Armed police patrol trains in UK for the first time after Manchester bombing

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) – Armed police will patrol trains across Britain for the first time, British Transport Police said on Thursday (May 25). It comes after the threat level was raised to critical following a suicide bombing in Manchester this week. British Transport Police Chief Constable Paul Crowther said in a statement that the move was not due to any specific intelligence related to trains but was part of the national plan to deal […]

Three dead, 10 injured in Greek passenger train derailment

ADENDRO, Greece (Reuters) — Three people died and 10 more were injured when a train derailed in northern Greece on Saturday night (May 13) and ripped through a house, police said on Sunday (May 14). At least two carriages crashed into the ground floor of a house, ramming through its walls. Other carriages toppled onto their sides with windows smashed. It was unclear what caused the accident. The train carrying 70 passengers and five crew […]

Chinese railway worker prevents girl from jumping in front of train

FUJIAN PROVINCE, China (Reuters) — A Chinese railway worker narrowly saved a girl who was trying to kill herself by jumping in front of a moving train in southern China, state media reported on Saturday (May 13). State broadcaster CCTV released surveillance video which captured the moment on Wednesday (May 10) at Xianyou Railway Station in Fujian province. Both the girl and staff were not seriously injured, CCTV added.

The trains and sea ports of China’s new Silk Road

BEIJING, China (AFP) – China’s Silk Road summit on Sunday will highlight the country’s plans to revive ancient trade routes from Asia to Europe and Africa with a massive network of rail and maritime links. The One Belt, One Road Initiative was unveiled by President Xi Jinping in 2013. Xi will host top officials from 28 nations for the two-day conference on the outskirts of Beijing, though few Western leaders will attend the meeting. Beijing’s […]

Fares as high as $10,000 on board Japan luxury sleeper train

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — East Japan Railway Co. launched its new luxury sleeper train on Monday (May 1) that comes with a $10,000 price tag for the top-class suite for a four-day trip from Tokyo to Hokkaido. The slick gold-colored “Train Suite Shiki-shima” features Japan’s traditional tatami (pronounce tah-tah-mi) rice straw mats and Hinoki (pronounce hee-noh-ki) wooden bath tubs, sky-view glass ceilings and live piano music in the dining car. Despite the hefty price tags […]

First direct London-China train completes 12,000 km run

by Joanna CHIU Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Laden with whisky and baby milk, the first freight train linking China directly to the UK arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu Saturday after a 12,000-kilometre (7,500-mile) trip, becoming the world’s second-longest rail route. The journey is the latest effort in China’s drive to strengthen trade links with western Europe along a modern-day “Silk Road” route. “The train arrived at around 9:30am (0130 […]

First ‘Silk Road’ train from Britain leaves for China

by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse STANDFORD-LE-HOPE, United Kingdom (AFP) — The first-ever freight train from Britain to China started its mammoth journey on Monday along a modern-day “Silk Road” trade route as Britain eyes new opportunities after it leaves the European Union. The 32-container train, around 600 metres (656 yards) long, left the vast London Gateway container port laden with whisky, soft drinks and baby products, bound for Yiwu on the east coast of […]

India train derailment deaths rise to 32

  (Reuters) — At least 32 people were killed and dozens more injured on Saturday (January 21) night when nine coaches of a passenger train derailed in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh, in the latest disaster to hit the vast and accident-prone state railways, officials said. The express train from Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar derailed near Kuneri station, around 30 km (18 miles) outside the town of Raigarh. District collector of Raigarh district in India’s […]

New York’s 2nd Ave subway to open January 1, fulfilling decades-long dream

NEW YORK,United States (Reuters) – Three new subway stations along Manhattan’s Second Avenue will finally open on New Year’s Day, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday (December 22), 10 years after construction started and decades after the seemingly interminable project was first proposed. “There’s much talk about the deadline and the deadline is January 1, and we are committed to that deadline and the train is going to run if we have to […]

India train disaster toll rises to 142, more dead feared

PUKHRAYAN, India (AFP) — The death toll from India’s rail disaster rose to 142 on Monday after workers toiled through the night removing victims from the wreckage, with grim warnings that more bodies were trapped inside. There was little hope of finding survivors among the mangled remains of 14 carriages, which came off the tracks in northern India on Sunday in a rural district of Uttar Pradesh state. “The actual toll will still be higher […]