Surviving Train Derailments: Expert Tips for Safety and Survival

How to Survive a Train Derailment

Although traveling by train is the second safest mode of transportation after flying, accidents still happen.

When they do, there are fatalities. Here, you will find a few tips on surviving a train derailment.

What is a Train Derailment?

A train derailment occurs when a train deviates from its track, often due to collision, conductor error, track failure, broken rails, or faulty wheels.

Not all derailments result in trains altogether leaving the tracks—some may be minor incidents.

What May Cause a Train to Derail?

Several factors can cause a train derailment, including:

• Collisions with other objects or vehicles.
• Errors by the conductor or train operator.
• Mechanical failures in the track infrastructure.
• Broken or damaged rails.
• Defective or worn-out wheels.
• Excessive speed, especially when navigating curves.
• Environmental factors such as extreme weather conditions or natural disasters.
• Human error during maintenance or repair work on the tracks.
• Overloading or uneven distribution of cargo.
• Sabotage or intentional acts of vandalism.

Train Derailment Survival Tips and Strategies

You can do a few things to increase your chances of surviving a train derailment.

Where you sit and what you do during the trip are just a few things to remember.

Face Backwards

Find a seat sitting backward. In case of an impact, derailment, or the train having to come to an abrupt stop, You will be forced into your seat, and your head will be somewhat braced and not thrown forward.

Sitting backward may make you feel off-balanced or uneasy if you’re reading a book, looking down, or working on your computer.

It all comes to your safety in the case of a survival situation. Trains are not equipped like cars or airplanes. There are no seat belts. If you’re facing forward and there is an impact, you could be thrown into other people or anything else in your path.

Studies have shown that the way train seats are designed, they are safer without seat belts. However, experts are now looking at different designs and scenarios to decide if seat belts will protect passengers better in the case of an accident or derailment.

Pick the Correct Car

Studies on past train derailments show that physics and inertia significantly influence picking the safest rail car to travel in.

Most people would believe the middle rail car would be the safest in a wreck from the front or rear of the train (most train wrecks are due to derailments). In this case, studies show the safest car to be on the car back from the center vehicle.

However, if a train derailment happens from the front (like most do), the second car from the end of the train would be the safest place to sit.

Plan for a Quick Escape

Once you board the train, take a few mental notes and figure out your escape plan in case you find yourself in a survival situation.

Where are the two closest emergency exits, and how do they open? Do you pull them in or out?

Count how many rows they are from you if you have to find them in the dark.

Look for any additional safety items and where they are located if needed.

Where are the intercoms and alarms situated, and how do they work if you use them to alert the conductor during the trip?

Aisle or Window Seat?

The perfect scenario is to find an aisle seat close to an emergency door or window.

You may not get to window gaze, but you will have a prime location if you must evacuate quickly. The aisle seat also provides more protection in case of a side impact.

Safety experts say it is more likely for a train to be hit in the side by another train than from the front or back.

Stay in Your Seat

Cafe cars, lounge cars, and bar cars are excellent places to hang out, relax, and grab a bite to eat.

However, they are some of the worst places to be in the case of a train derailment. These areas are like blenders during an accident, with non-seated people, equipment, and food flying all over the inside of the cabin.

Your best bet is to stay in your seat as much as possible during your trip. If you have to get up to get something to eat, it’s best to grab your food and return to your seats safely.

Lavatories also provide no additional safety; they are full of hard, sharp edges.

Evacuate Quickly and Orderly

In the case of a train derailment, there will be chaos and panic-stricken people. There will be luggage and bodies flying, glass breaking, and people screaming. The rail car’s electricity will be cut off, and the smoke from fires will fill the cabin quickly, making it very hard to navigate.

You will want to keep calm and remember your plan. If there is smoke, you will want to get under it by getting close to the floor where you can breathe.

Follow your plan and find the exits. Many trains have glow-in-the-dark emergency lighting to help you find the emergency exits and escape the train car safely.

Doors and Windows

Emergency doors and windows can be opened with relative ease as long as they have not been blocked or damaged from the derailment or accident (this is why you will always want to know the location of the two closest emergency exits).

To open an emergency window, you will want to yank on the rubber ring and pull the gasket off around the window. Emergency windows are heavy, but they will pop out pretty quickly. Just give it a little push.

Emergency doors can be opened manually by pulling a red lever to one side of the door, generally behind a safety panel.

Remember, if the rail car is upright, it is about an 8-foot drop from the exit. Be careful when exiting the train. Once you get on solid ground, clear the railroad tracks in case another train is coming down the tracks.

Ten of the Worst Train Accidents in History

These train accidents resulted in significant loss of life and are among the deadliest railway disasters in history.

1. Ciurea Rail Disaster (Romania, 1917) – Approximately 600-1,000 deaths.
2. Ufa Train Disaster (Russia, 1989) – Around 575 deaths.
3. Torre del Bierzo Rail Disaster (Spain, 1944) – Estimated 500-800 deaths.
4. Quzhou Train Collision (China, 2010) – Over 300 deaths.
5. Balvano Train Disaster (Italy, 1944) – Around 500 deaths.
6. Al Ayyat Train Disaster (Egypt, 2002) – Approximately 360 deaths.
7. Versailles Train Crash (France, 1842) – Around 200 deaths.
8. Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne Train Disaster (France, 1917) – Estimated 800 deaths.
9. Eschede Train Disaster (Germany, 1998) – Over 100 deaths.
10. Granville Train Disaster (Australia, 1977) – Approximately 80 deaths.

What to Do if Your Car is Stuck on Railroad Tracks

1. GET OUT: If your vehicle gets stuck on railroad tracks, you first want to get out of your car.
2. Call: Call 911 and call the railroad 1-800 number posted at the railroad crossings to alert the proper authorities.
3. TRAIN APPROACHING: If a train is approaching, stay off the tracks and run towards it to avoid debris from the collision. Wave your arms and motion for them to slow down and stop, letting them know something is blocking the tracks.