14.07.2013

Rail crane overturn

A large Kirow rail crane overturned onto a passing passenger train on Saturday on the edge of Zurich Oerlikon railway station in Switzerland. One of the rail workers was slightly injured in the incident.
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One of the rail workers injured his hand in the incident

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The crane caught the side of the train

The crane appears to have struck - or been struck by - a rail mounted excavator when it tipped over sideways. The crane and a large work crew were installing new points at the entrance to the station. The crane is owned and operator by Swiss based international rail specialist, Sersa Group (Soudage électrique des rails S.A.).
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The incident caused major disruption to the Swiss rail system

The crane gouged a hole in the side of the train and ripped out a window, but none of the 250 passengers were hurt. They were though evacuated to the station. The incident caused major disruption to the Swiss rail system, but work was resumed later in the day.

UPDATE
After an 18 month investigation the Swiss authorities concluded that the overturn was caused by a failure in the hydraulic levelling circuit of the crane, probably due to an electrical component.