2 machinists killed as train derails in western Turkey

BİLECİK

Two machinists were killed on Sept. 19 when a pilot engine derailed after hitting a tunnel wall in the northwestern Bilecik province.

The pilot engine – a small locomotive sent ahead of a train to do safety checks - departed from the capital Ankara to test the tracks of the high-speed rail service running between Ankara and Istanbul (“YHT” in Turkish).

It derailed near Ahmetpınar village in Bozüyük district.

Train services were temporarily suspended on the line while an investigation into the cause of the derailment is underway.

“Our locomotive, unfortunately within the boundaries of the province, entered the place [tunnel] at a higher speed than 30 kilometers per hour, which it should have normally, and then derailed and hit the wall at the entrance of the tunnel. This way, it dragged about 200 meters,” Bilecik Governor Bilal Şentürk told reporters on Sept. 19 following the incident.

Şentürk also said that the technicians were working on to open the YHT line, and the line “hopefully” would be opened by the end of the day.

“In the meantime our YHT passengers coming from the direction of Ankara or Istanbul are continuing their transportation without any disruption through bus transfers between Bozüyük and Bilecik,” he said.