How likely is it that Romania will face an accident of a similar severity to that in Spain? The answer of a specialist

Almost 40 people died in the train accident in Spain after a high-speed train derailed and collided with another train on a different track, raising questions about whether such severe train accidents are likely in Romania. Adrian Bărbulescu, a journalist at Club Feroviar, believes that train accidents of such magnitude, like the one in Spain, are unlikely in Romania.

Low speeds save Romania from major train accidents

According to him, the low speeds of trains in Romania are the reason why such tragedies are unlikely in our country.

In Spain, one of the trains was traveling at 200 km/h, while in Romania, the average speed of trains is 45 km/h, and some rarely exceed 60 km/h.

Additionally, in Romania, engineers can notice and brake in time if two trains enter the same track.

Train accidents in recent years in Romania

Romania ranked third in the European Union for the number of deaths in train accidents, with 65 fatalities in 2024, according to Eurostat data, but according to Bărbulescu, the last train accident in which a passenger died occurred in 2008. Four people were injured at that time, and a 17-year-old girl was killed by a beam that pierced the floor of the carriage as the train passed over a switch.

On the other hand, fatal train accidents have occurred, including last year, when a locomotive engineer died in Olt County after the wagons of a private freight train derailed and were struck by the locomotive of another train. Additionally, another fatal train accident occurred in 2023 at the Galați station when a locomotive crashed into a passenger carriage it was supposed to tow. As a result of the impact, one person died.

What is the worst train accident in Romania and when did it happen

The worst train accident in Romania dates back to 1917, when over 1,000 people died. In the winter of 1916-1917, the "Courier" left the Galați station, heading to Ciurea, a station near the municipality of Iași. The train was loaded with refugees, soldiers, and goods. It could not stop due to a malfunction in the braking system and collided with a locomotive that was stationed at the Ciurea station, not far from Iași. The carriages derailed, and the fire spread to carriages with munitions that were stationed on other tracks, which exploded, according to a report from HotNews.

In the case of the accident in Spain, which occurred on January 18, at least 39 people died, and the exact causes are still unknown.

Bărbulescu emphasizes that the accident was not caused by the age of the train, but by an error in train coordination, either human or computer-related.

We also note that a Romanian is among the survivors of the train accident in Spain.