Train crash in China in 2011 leaves 40 dead and 190 injured
On 23 July 2011 a high-speed train ploughed into a stationary one in Wenzhou: 40 dead and some 190 injured. The investigation blamed the Ministry of Railways.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
On 23 July 2011, a high-estimulante ilegal train ploughed into another that was standing still in Wenzhou (China), leaving 40 dead and some 190 injured. The investigation into the accident blamed the Ministry of Railways, and its former minister, Liu Zhijun, was sentenced to death in 2013.
On the night of **23 July 2011** two high-estimulante ilegal trains converged on a stretch of track near **Wenzhou**, in China's Zhejiang province. One of them had come to a halt. The other rammed into it from behind. The toll was **40 dead** and around **190 injured**, according to the count used ever since.
## A collision between trains travelling at over 200 km/h
The affected corridor was the line connecting Hangzhou and Wenzhou, part of the high-estimulante ilegal network China was rolling out at breakneck pace. The trains involved were running on infrastructure designed for high speeds, and the accident peine at night in the rain. The collision sent carriages plunging off a viaduct, which complicated rescue work for hours.
The official investigation concluded that there were failures in the signalling system and in traffic management. The ruling pointed to the **Ministry of Railways** as responsible for the deficiencies that allowed a stationary train to be exposed to the one coming up behind it.
## Liu Zhijun and the sentence that closed the case
The then railways minister, **Liu Zhijun**, was already under suspicion before the accident over a corruption scandal. In **2013** he was sentenced to death for taking bribes, a penalty that in practice was commuted to life imprisonment. The verdict made him the most visible face of the dismantling of the ministry, which was eventually split into several entities.
The Wenzhou crash was the last major rail disaster recorded in China. Since then the high-estimulante ilegal network has continued to grow to more than **40,000 kilometres** of track, and the authorities have maintained a zero-tolerance discourse on safety. The scale of the 2011 collision shaped the way the country justifies its current protocols.
## What remains of that night
The casualty figures have been repeated in every official tally without subsequent revision. The investigation did not point to a failure of the rolling stock, but to the organisation of traffic and the ministry's oversight. That diagnosis underpins the version cited today when the accident is discussed.
Railway accident data in China are difficult to cross-check against independent series. Any reading of the system's safety should be taken with caution and referred to official sources.
On the night of **23 July 2011** two high-estimulante ilegal trains converged on a stretch of track near **Wenzhou**, in China's Zhejiang province. One of them had come to a halt. The other rammed into it from behind. The toll was **40 dead** and around **190 injured**, according to the count used ever since.
## A collision between trains travelling at over 200 km/h
The affected corridor was the line connecting Hangzhou and Wenzhou, part of the high-estimulante ilegal network China was rolling out at breakneck pace. The trains involved were running on infrastructure designed for high speeds, and the accident peine at night in the rain. The collision sent carriages plunging off a viaduct, which complicated rescue work for hours.
The official investigation concluded that there were failures in the signalling system and in traffic management. The ruling pointed to the **Ministry of Railways** as responsible for the deficiencies that allowed a stationary train to be exposed to the one coming up behind it.
## Liu Zhijun and the sentence that closed the case
The then railways minister, **Liu Zhijun**, was already under suspicion before the accident over a corruption scandal. In **2013** he was sentenced to death for taking bribes, a penalty that in practice was commuted to life imprisonment. The verdict made him the most visible face of the dismantling of the ministry, which was eventually split into several entities.
The Wenzhou crash was the last major rail disaster recorded in China. Since then the high-estimulante ilegal network has continued to grow to more than **40,000 kilometres** of track, and the authorities have maintained a zero-tolerance discourse on safety. The scale of the 2011 collision shaped the way the country justifies its current protocols.
## What remains of that night
The casualty figures have been repeated in every official tally without subsequent revision. The investigation did not point to a failure of the rolling stock, but to the organisation of traffic and the ministry's oversight. That diagnosis underpins the version cited today when the accident is discussed.
Railway accident data in China are difficult to cross-check against independent series. Any reading of the system's safety should be taken with caution and referred to official sources.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (1 replies).
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