How Safe is the TGV?
TGVs are fast, but are they safe?
It is interesting to look at the list of accidents on Wikipedia.
On high-speed lines, there have been derailments but overall the technology has worked and the train has stopped fairly safely, with perhaps a few bruised passengers. But then the lines are straight, have few points and crossovers, and the trains are designed to hold together in an accident.
But on normal tracks there have been some serious accidents; one bomb, one freak accident in a depot, one derailment and four involving level crossings. The French are worried about the last and are endeavouring to remove all level crossings from lines used by TGVs.
None of the accidents have been as bad as the Eschede accident on Deutsche Bahn, where over a hundred people died.
So are TGVs safe?
Yes!
The French are to be applauded in removing level crossings and keeping their high-speed lines as straight and as clear of things to hit as possible. It could be argued that if the train at Eschede had just derailed and not hit the bridge, then the casualties would have been greatly reduced.
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The Anonymous Widower 
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