List of tram accidents

This is a worldwide list of accidents involving trams (or streetcars in U.S English) in which there was significant damage to the tramcar, or involving severe injury or death to those in the tramcar. Pedestrian fatalities are outside the scope of this list.

Argentina

• On 12 July 1930, electric tram no. 75 on Line 105 travelling from Temperley to Lanús in Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, plunged into the Matanza River when the driver attempted to cross the Bosch Bridge without realising that the central bascule was raised. 56 out of 60 passengers died and only 4 survived,^[1][2][3][4] making this the worst tram tragedy in the world.

Australia

• On 21 August 1924, a coupled set of Sydney tram E-class cars ran out of control near McMahon's Point, derailed and crashed into a house. There were two fatalities, and the trams were extensively damaged.^[5]

Austria

• On 2 August 1960, a tram ran away in Vienna, Austria and collided with another on a crossroads. Eighteen people were killed and 104 were injured.^[6]

Brazil

• On 27 August 2011, a Santa Teresa Tram in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, derailed, killing six people and injuring at least fifty.^[7][8]

Canada

• On 26 May 1896, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a Consolidated Electric Railway Company tram car carrying 143 people plunged into a harbour after the bridge it was crossing collapsed. The disaster killed 55 people and left an unknown number of others injured.^[9]

• On 7 July 1915, a severely overloaded Niagara Falls Park and River Railway open-sided car went out of control while descending the Niagara Escarpment near Queenston, Ontario. Fifteen people died, and many others were injured. ^[10]

• On 11 December 1944, a major snowstorm caused a Toronto Transportation Commission streetcar to overturn near Queen and Mutual Streets. One person was killed, and 50 injured. ^[11]

Croatia

• On 31 October 1954, a Zagreb tram ran away down Mirogoj Road and crashed. Nineteen people were killed and 37 were injured.

Germany

• On 23 August 1999, a Cologne Stadtbahn tram ran into the rear of another at Christophstrasse Station. Seventy people were injured, seven seriously.^[12]

Isle of Man

• On 5 April 1930, the tram depot at Laxey, Isle of Man was destroyed by fire. Manx Electric Railway trams 3, 4, 8 and 24, plus trailers 34, 35, 38-41 and 44 were destroyed. Trailer 60 was damaged.^[13]:p13
• On 30 March 2016, Snaefell Mountain Railway car No. 3 ran away from Summit Station with nobody on board. The tram derailed before reaching Bungalow Station and was destroyed.^[14]

Norway

Oslo.

• On 2 August 1958, an Oslo Tramway tram caught fire in Strømsveien Street. Five people were killed, seventeen were injured.

Poland

• On 7 December 1967, a heavily loaded tram in Szczecin, Poland, consisting of one power car and two trailers, ran away down hill and derailed on a bend after the dynamic brakes failed. The accident killed 15 people and injured around 150, 40 of them seriously.^[15]
• In Poznań on September 8, 1993 the motorman of tram No. 10 mistook which route the line was set for and went off the track. The tram fell on its side and then hit the wall of a building. Five people were killed and sixty wounded, the driver was sentenced to three years in prison.^[16]

Spain

• On March 5, 1918, a Barcelona tram collided with a freight train on level crossing, killing 5 people and injuring 24.^[17]

Sweden

• On 12 March 1992, driverless Gothenburg tram No. 245 lost its electric power at Kapellplatsen and hurtled backwards down a hill at more than 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), before colliding with another tram and derailing at Vasaplatsen. Thirteen people were killed and around 30 were injured.^[18]

Switzerland

• On 10 November 1966, a tram derailed in Zürich, Switzerland and crashed into a building. A passenger was killed and 71 were injured.^[19]

Ukraine

• On 2 July 1996, in Kamianske, Ukraine, an overcrowded tram car carrying at least 150 people derailed and crashed through a concrete wall, after its brakes failed while going down a steep hill. The disaster killed 34 people and injured over 100 others.^[20]

United Kingdom

1880s

• On 7 August 1882, a Blackburn and Over Darwen Tramways Company tram ran away, derailed and overturned at Ewood Bridge, Blackburn. One person was killed and 30 were injured.^[21]
• On 3 July 1883, a Huddersfield Corporation Tramways steam tram engine and trailer ran away downhill and derailed at the junction of Westgate and Railway Street. Seven people were killed and twenty were injured.^[22][23]

1890s

• On 19 September 1898, a Bradford City Tramways tram ran away on Horton Bank, derailed and crashed. One person was killed, fourteen were seriously injured.^[24]

1900s

• On 9 June 1905, Huddersfield Corporation Tramways tram No. 67 ran away, derailed and crashed. One person was killed.^[25]:p32
• On 1 June 1906, Swindon Corporation Tramways tram No. 11 ran away on Victora Road and overturned. Five people were killed, 30 were injured.^[25]:p57
• On 23 June 1906, Metropolitan Electric Tramways tram No. 115 ran away in Archway Road, crashed into five other vehicles and another tram. Three people were killed, twenty were injured.^[25]:p35
• On 1 July 1906, Halifax Corporation Tramways tram No. 94 ran away down New Bank, derailed and overturned. Two people were killed, eleven were injured.^[25]:p30
• On 1 April 1907, South Metropolitan Electric Tramways tram No. 19 ran away, derailed and overturned in Wallington. Two people were killed, 36 were injured.^[25]:p60
• On 31 July 1907, Bradford City Tramways tram No. 210 derailed in Church Bank due to a fractured axle. Two people were killed and sixteen were injured.^[25]:p14

Birmingham.

• On 1 October 1907, a City of Birmingham Tramways Company Ltd tram ran away down Ickneild Street, derailed and overturned. Two people were killed and eleven were injured.
• On 15 October 1907, Halifax Corporation Tramways tram No. 64 ran away backwards down Pye Nest Road and derailed. Six people were killed, 37 were injured.^[25]:p51
• On 1 May 1908, Bournemouth Corporation Tramways tram No. 72 ran away down Poole Hill and derailed at Fairy Glen. Seven people were killed, 26 were injured.^[25]:p11

1910s

• On 5 June 1911, Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley & Dukinfield Tramways & Electricity Board tram No. 44 ran away down Ditchcroft Hill, Stalybridge, derailed and overturned. One person was killed, 33 were injured.^[25]:pp54-55
• On 2 September 1911, London County Council Tramways tram No. 110 derailed and overturned in Lewisham High Road. One person was killed, 35 were injured.^[25]:p38
• On 20 October 1911, a Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Tramways & Electricity board tram ran away down Stamford Road, Mossley, derailed and crashed onto the railway at Mossley railway station. The guard and four passengers were killed, four passengers were seriously injured.^[26]
• On 18 October 1913, Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Company tram No. 23 collided with trolley wagon No. 27 at Benton Farm. Two people were killed, six were injured.^[25]:p42
• On 27 November 1914, Devonport and District Tramways tram No. 25 was derailed at Paradise Road due to excessive speed on a curve. Three people were killed, 33 were injured.^[25]:p18
• On 2 December 1914, Barnsley and District Tramway tram No. 4 ran away on Eldon Street North, derailed and crashed into a shop. Two people were killed, four were injured.^[25]:p7
• On 5 February 1916, Gateshead and District Tramways Company tram No. 7 ran away in Bensham Road and derailed on a curve. Four people were killed, ten were injured.^[25]:pp28-29
• On 28 December 1916, a Luton Corporation Tramways tram ran away and derailed at the junction of Old Bedford Road and Midland Road. Seven people were injured, one seriously.^[27]
• On 7 March 1917, Exeter Corporation Tramways tram No. 17 ran away and derailed in Fore Street. One person was killed and three were injured.^[25]:p27

Crabble, Dover

• On 19 August 1917, Dover Corporation Tramways tram No. 23 ran away down Crabble Hill, derailed and overturned. Eleven people were killed and sixty were injured. This was the deadliest tram accident in the United Kingdom.^{[28][25]:pp22-23}
• On 1 February 1918, Bradford City Tramways tram No. 88 derailed and overturned in Chapel Lane, Allerton. One person was killed and nineteen were injured.^[25]:p15
• On 8 October 1919, Burton and Ashby Light Railway tram No. 19 ran away backwards in Bearwood Hill Road and was derailed. Two people were killed, sixteen were injured.^[25]:p18

1920s

• On 21 December 1923, a lorry collided with Barnsley and District Tramway tram No. 10, which ran away backwards and derailed at Lane Head. Two people were killed, seven were injured.^[25]:p17

1930s

• On 12 April 1930, a Glasgow Corporation Tramways tram derailed and overturned at the junction to Dunbarton Road and Crow Road. Two passengers were killed and around 60 were injured, eighteen seriously.^[29][30]
• On 23 August 1932, Great Orme Tramway tram No. 4 derailed and hit a wall. The driver and a passenger were killed, ten passengers were seriously injured.^[31]
• On 3 July 1933, a Bath Tramways Company tram ran away backwards on Wells Road and crashed into another tram. A passenger was killed and fifteen were injured.^[32]
• On 2 January 1934, a Liverpool Corporation Tramways tram derailed and overturned in Crown Street. One person was killed and 35 injured, several seriously.^[33]

1950s

• On 24 May 1950, a tramcar and double-decker-bus collided on Great Western Road in Glasgow, killing seven and injuring 43.^[34]
• On 28 January 1959, a Glasgow Corporation Tramways tram collided with a lorry and caught fire. The tram driver and two passengers were killed. Thirty people were injured.^[35][36]

1990s

• On 12 August 1996, a lorry collided with a Manchester Metrolink tram at the junction of Corporation Street and Miller Street. Sixeen people were injured, one seriously.^[37]

Sandilands.

2010s

• On 9 November 2016, a London Tramlink tram derailed at Sandilands in Croydon due to excessive speed on a curve. Seven people were killed and 58 were injured.^[38][39]

United States

• On May 12, 1889 a streetcar descending Denny Hill in Seattle, Washington, suffered a cable malfunction and crashed after hitting a sharp curve. The crash killed one passenger and injured another.^[40]
• On November 1 1893, a streetcar in Portland, Oregon plunged into the Willamette River after running off an open swing bridge. Seven people died.

Tacoma, Washington.

• On 4 July 1900, an overcrowded Tacoma Railway & Power tram car derailed and plunged into a ravine in Tacoma, Washington, USA. The accident killed 43 people and left 65 others injured.^[41]
• On 7 November 1916, Boston Elevated Railway Co. streetcar No. 393 smashed through the warning gates of the open Summer Street drawbridge in Boston, Massachusetts, plunging into the frigid waters of Fort Point Channel, killing 46 people. ^[42]
• On December 24, 1917, a Pittsburgh Railways streetcar ran away downhill in the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel after becoming detached from the wire and derailed and overturned on a curve.^[43] The car slid on its side until hitting a telegraph pole which ripped the roof off. Twenty-one people were killed and 80 were injured.^[44][45]
• On 14 November 1944, two Pittsburgh Railways streetcars collided in a heavy fog, killing five people and injuring thirty-five.^[44]
• On 25 May 1950, a petrol tanker collided with a streetcar in Chicago, Illinois, USA, creating a fire which destroyed five buildings.^[46] A total of 34 people were killed on the tramcar and another 50 left injured, either on the tram or in the surrounding area.^[47][48]
• On October 29, 1987, a Pittsburgh Light Rail 1700-series PCC car was going downhill through Mount Washington Transit Tunnel when its brakes failed. The driver ordered the passengers to the back of the trolley as it picked up speed. The streetcar sideswiped a city bus and a truck, ripped out a utility pole and fire hydrant then ran into a six-story, brick office building. Thirty-seven people were injured, four seriously, but there were no fatalities. All three braking systems on the car had failed: the drum, track and dynamic rail brakes.^[49][50]

Zimbabwe

• On 7 July 2014 a freight train hit a tram at Victoria Falls Railway Station, Zimbabwe which was attempting to move off the main line, killing 1 person and injuring at least a dozen others.^[51]

References

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11. Natasha Grzincic (11 December 2014). "Think we got it bad? Remembering Toronto's worst snowstorm". Retrieved 24 November 2016.
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