The train went off the rails. Expert: Most often, trains derail due to damage to the chassis. Be prepared for the fight for your life
FACT
The worst train accident in history occurred on June 6, 1981 in the Indian state of Bihar. While crossing the Bagmati River, seven carriages of a passenger train were thrown into the water by hurricane winds. From 650 to 800 people died in the disaster - it was not possible to establish more precisely, since it is unknown how many people were traveling on this train.
EXPERTS:
Deputy Director of the Department of Fire and Rescue Forces, Special Fire Protection and Civil Defense Forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, international class rescuer.
Car stunt stunt performer, member of the Russian Stuntmen Association.
Referent of the press service of the Main Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
BE READY FOR THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE
1. In the first split second, be glad that you are riding on the bottom shelf in a compartment of a carriage located approximately in the middle of the train - after all, this is the safest place on a train that is derailed.
2. Fall (gently) to the floor grab the leg of the folding table tightly and rest your feet on something. Try to ensure that your head is protected as much as possible by the surface of the table - this will save you from things falling off the shelves.
3. Wait until the train comes to a complete stop. You should not jump up after the first blow - it is possible that it will be followed by several more strong shocks.
4. Break the window. But first, close the compartment doors, if this is still possible, so that a possible fire is not drawn into your space along with the draft. “And don’t try to break the glass with your fist or elbow,- advises Andrey Legoshin from the Ministry of Emergency Situations. - This can only be done with a heavy object - a suitcase, torn off by a metal handrail. You can also tear the folding table out of its fastenings.” Having dealt with the window and cleared the glass from the opening, jump from the carriage.
5. Just make sure first that you are not jumping onto adjacent paths. It would be stupid if you were smeared across the body of an oncoming locomotive a second after the intended rescue.
6. Once on the ground, move in small steps. If a current-carrying wire is damaged and lies on the ground, a so-called step voltage can form around it, which in wet weather penetrates the soil within a radius of 30 m around the current source. But even in this case, evacuation is possible if your steps are significantly shorter than the critical 60-70 cm - this way you will not close the “minus” and “plus” with your feet.
7. Move away from the carriage to a safe distance. If a train crashed, there could be some flammable liquid on the tracks, beware of an explosion. But don’t run into the forest in panic, stay within line of sight of the train - this way you won’t miss the triumphant appearance of the rescuers.
FACT
The power of the explosion was estimated at 300 tons of TNT, which on June 4, 1989 led to the largest railway accident in the history of the USSR and Russia. On that day, propane, butane and other flammable gases leaked from the damaged Western Siberia - Ural - Volga region pipeline for several hours in a row. They formed a gas “lake” in a lowland 900 m from the Trans-Siberian Railway. It is not known from under the wheels of which train the spark flew - whether it was traveling from Adler to Novosibirsk or vice versa - but it was at the moment the trains met that the explosion occurred. According to official data alone, 575 people died, 623 people became disabled (a total of 1,284 people were on the trains).
FIRE CASE
If the train runs as usual, but there is a burning smell in your carriage. What to do?
1. Don’t even think about jumping from a train rushing at full speed. Even ordinary trains in Russia move at speeds of up to 140 km/h - if you don’t hit a power pole, then hitting the ground will definitely be fatal.
2. “If there is an explosion in the train or one of the cars catches fire, but the train is still moving on the rails, before pulling the stop valve, make sure that the train is not in a tunnel or on a bridge,- advises Andrey Legoshin. “In both cases, the evacuation of passengers will be difficult, and the poorly ventilated tunnel will also be filled with toxic smoke.”
3. Wrap your face with a wet piece of cloth. The interior spaces of Russian train cars are usually lined with malminite - this material itself almost does not burn, but at high temperatures it emits toxic gas, which requires only 3-4 breaths to become poisonous.
4. Run to the carriages, untouched by the fire. But close the doors tightly behind you when moving from car to car to limit the spread of fire.
FACT
On March 27, 2001, a train from Warves station (Wallonia, Belgium) ran a red light for reasons still unclear. The Walloon dispatcher immediately called his colleague at the next station and demanded in French that he stop the oncoming train. Unfortunately, the next station was the Flemish Louvain, where they speak only Dutch. According to the rules of the railway company, dispatchers must speak both the official languages of Belgium. But here the rules were not followed. And while two poorly educated dispatchers were arguing with each other, each in their own language, the trains crashed into each other at full speed, killing 8 people.
THE SAME PEOPLE LIVE!
An old military adage says that a shell does not fall into the same crater twice. However, 35-year-old Russian citizen Natalya Novikova refuted this rule with her own example. On August 13, 2007, the Nevsky Express, in which Novikova was traveling, derailed as a result of a terrorist attack. There were no casualties; Natalya herself escaped with bruises, abrasions and a nervous breakdown, after which for a long time she could not even look at the rushing train. However, working for two cities, Novikova, through an effort of will, was able to overcome fear - so that on November 27, 2009 she found herself in the overturned second carriage of the ill-fated Nevsky Express, which was again blown up by terrorists. This time, for Natalya, everything ended more seriously: with a broken arm and hip bones. “What saved me from death was that I grabbed the back of the chair in front of me and actually covered myself with it,”- Novikova recalled in an interview with the St. Petersburg TV channel “100 TV”. In total, 682 people were traveling on that train, 28 of them died.
RISK STATISTICS
Between 2001 and 2011, there were 17 major train crashes worldwide, killing 1,551 people, 32 of them in Russia. For comparison, the annual turnover of Russian railways is more than 1.3 billion tickets.
The profession > is not as ancient as many others, and is associated with the advent of railways. The prototype of the railway appeared in ancient times. These were rail (wooden or stone) tracks along which heavy loads were dragged. In 1825, the world's first steam-powered railway was built. This date can be considered the date of the emergence of the profession >.
Why don't trains derail?
The wheels of wagons or locomotives are tightly mounted on axles and rotate with them (they are called wheel pairs). On the rim of each wheel there is a steel ring that tightly grips it - a bandage. On the inside of the bandage along its entire circumference there is a protrusion - a ridge. It prevents the wheel from moving outward from the rail. The wheel is prevented from leaving the rail inside the track by the crest of another wheel of the same wheel pair.
The weight of the locomotive or car creates a load on the wheel, and through it on the rail. Therefore, when moving between the wheel and the rail, a frictional force (adhesion) arises, and the wheel does not slide, but rolls along the rail. The traction force of the locomotive also depends on the force pressing the wheel to the rail. The heavier the locomotive and the tighter its wheels are pressed against the rail, the heavier the train it can pull. Of course, locomotive engines must be powerful enough to move the train at the required speed. But if the locomotive is too light, then it will not be able to pull a heavy train, no matter how powerful its engines are. The wheels of such a locomotive will not be pressed tightly enough against the rails and will begin to slide.
A diesel locomotive is a self-contained locomotive whose prime mover is an internal combustion engine (ICE), usually a diesel engine.
The diesel locomotive, which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, became an economically viable replacement for both low-efficiency outdated steam locomotives and electric locomotives that appeared at the same time, profitable only on highways with a relatively large cargo and passenger traffic.
Currently, diesel locomotives have almost completely replaced steam locomotives on maneuvers and carry out approximately 40% of the network's freight turnover. The continuously growing demands for increasing the weight of trains and their speeds determine the need to create more and more powerful locomotives. Already now, autonomous locomotives with sectional power of 6000 - 7350 kW (8000 - 10000 hp) are needed. An equally important task is the transition of autonomous locomotives to alternative fuels, such as gas. These problems are successfully solved by using gas turbine engines in locomotive construction. Gas turbine locomotives have been created and are in operation - autonomous locomotives in which the gas turbine is the main power engine.
A diesel locomotive is an autonomous locomotive with an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The diesel locomotive converts the energy of liquid fuel into mechanical work of rotation of the crankshaft, from which the wheels receive movement through the transmission. Diesel is poorly adapted to variable operating conditions. Power is directly proportional to the crankshaft speed (with a constant fuel supply), so it is more profitable to operate it in constant mode, at the maximum crankshaft speed. To ensure that the diesel engine can operate at a constant shaft speed and transfer energy to the driving wheel pairs, a traction transmission is used that matches the operating conditions of the locomotive and the diesel engine.
HOW IS AN ELECTRIC LOGO SIGNED AND WORKS?
In diesel electric locomotives, the electrical energy that moves the wheels is generated by the operation of diesel engines. The turbopump constantly pumps air into the engine, increasing its power.
An electric locomotive is a locomotive driven by electric motors that receive electrical energy through a pantograph from the contact network. The contact network receives electricity from the traction substation.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ELECTRIFIED RAILWAYS
AC or DC?
Electric power stations generate electrical energy from three-phase alternating current, which is transmitted over long distances through three wires. The frequency of alternating current powering industrial installations varies from country to country. It ranges from 25 to 60 cycles per second (hertz). In Russia, as in most countries, the industrial frequency is taken to be 50 Hz.
A little from the theory of train movement
The theory of train motion is an integral part of the applied science of train traction, studying the issues of train movement and the operation of locomotives. For a clearer understanding of the operating process of an electric locomotive, it is necessary to know the basic provisions of this theory. First of all, the main forces acting on the train when moving are traction, resistance to movement, and braking force. The driver can change the traction and braking force; the force of resistance to movement cannot be controlled.
It is impossible for a driver to do without measuring instruments. You need to know their operating principle, be able to understand electrical circuits and the regulation of high and low frequency amplifiers.
Light signaling in transport has a long history. In Russia, its beginning can be considered the introduction of green signal lights on steam locomotives by Nicholas I himself. His highest command came after one night on the only Tsarskoye Selo railway in Russia at that time, a train crushed a sentry.
Nowadays, the transmission of light signaling to railways. etc. is carried out using various signal lights, traffic lights, information boards, television screens, monitors, etc. d.
You can combat the glare of floodlights with the help of polarizers. Polarizers are, for example, films, plates of substances that transmit light in only one direction. So, passing through two polaroids located at an angle of 90°, the intensity is zero. This property of polaroids can be used in practice, if, for example, the first polarizer is installed in the outlet of the locomotive, the second, rotated 90°, on the windshield of the locomotive driver's cabin: the direct light of the oncoming train's spotlight in the driver's cabin will be greatly weakened.
White paint reflects all radiation visible to the eye, black paint, on the contrary, absorbs all this radiation. That is why on the southern roads of our country the roofs of the cars are painted in light colors, and in the north, on the contrary, dark colors are desirable, which means it will be warmer in the car.
Our eyes perceive different colors differently. The color red is recognized quickly and at the same time has an exciting effect on us. Yellow and orange promote concentration, while light green has a calming effect. Color even evokes a feeling of temperature: red-yellow colors are said to be warm, and bluish-blue colors are said to be cool. The eye reacts differently to a combination of colors: it best distinguishes between red and green, yellow and black. That is why the colors used for signaling in transport are: red (danger), yellow (warning), and green (safety). It is no coincidence that the orange color of the workers on the road was chosen - it is immediately >. Another example: it was found that it is the orange-red stripes on the front of the locomotive that have the greatest visibility range. They are often applied with fluorescent paints that fluoresce under the influence of daylight, which increases the visibility range by 1.5-2 times. To highlight color and reduce its intensity, filters are used (to darken too bright light).
Magnetoplane or Maglev (from the English magnetic levitation) is a train on a magnetic suspension, driven and controlled by magnetic forces. Such a train, unlike traditional trains, does not touch the rail surface during movement. Since there is a gap between the train and the moving surface, friction is eliminated and the only braking force is the force of aerodynamic drag.
The speed achievable by Maglev is comparable to the speed of an airplane and allows it to compete with air communications at short (for aviation) distances (up to 1000 km). Although the idea of such transport is not new, economic and technical limitations have prevented it from being fully developed: the technology has only been implemented for public use a few times. Currently, Maglev cannot use the existing transport infrastructure, although there are projects with the location of magnetic road elements between the rails of a conventional railway or under the highway.
General information
Drive - electric motor;
Period - since 1989;
Speed - up to 600 km/h;
Scope of application: intercity public transport;
Infrastructure - magnetic rail track.
Technology
At the moment, there are 3 main technologies for magnetic suspension of trains:
1. On superconducting magnets (electrodynamic suspension, EDS).
A superconducting magnet is a solenoid or electromagnet with a winding made of superconducting material. The winding in the superconducting state has zero ohmic resistance. If such a winding is short-circuited, then the electric current induced in it persists almost indefinitely. The magnetic field of continuous current circulating through the winding of a superconducting magnet is extremely stable and ripple-free, which is important for a number of applications in scientific research and technology. The winding of a superconducting magnet loses its superconductivity property when the temperature rises above the critical temperature of the superconductor, when a critical current or critical magnetic field is reached in the winding.
2. On electromagnets (electromagnetic suspension).
3. On permanent magnets; this is a new and potentially most cost-effective system.
Advantages
* Theoretically the highest speed that can be achieved in a production (non-sport) ground vehicle.
*Low noise.
Flaws
* High cost of creating and maintaining tracks.
* Weight of magnets, electricity consumption.
* The electromagnetic field generated by maglev may be harmful to train crews and surrounding residents. Even traction transformers used on railways electrified by alternating current are harmful to drivers, but in this case the field strength is an order of magnitude greater. It is also possible that Maglev lines will not be available to people using pacemakers.
* It will be necessary to control the gap between the road and the train (several centimeters) at high speed (hundreds of km/h). This requires ultra-fast control systems.
* Requires complex track infrastructure. For example, an arrow for a Maglev represents two sections of road that alternate depending on the direction of the turn. Therefore, it is unlikely that maglev lines will form more or less branched networks with forks and intersections.
Implementation
The first public maglev system was built in Berlin in the 1980s.
The 1.6 km long road connected 3 metro stations. After much testing, the road was opened to passenger traffic on August 28, 1989. Travel was free, the carriages were controlled automatically without a driver, and the road was open only on weekends. On July 18, 1991, the line went into commercial operation and was included in the Berlin metro system.
After the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the population of Berlin actually doubled and it was necessary to connect the transport networks of East and West. The new road interrupted an important metro line, and the city needed to ensure high passenger flow. 13 days after putting it into commercial operation, on July 31, 1991, the municipality decided to dismantle the magnetic road and restore the metro. On September 17, the road was dismantled, and later the metro was restored.
Birmingham
A low-speed maglev shuttle operated from Birmingham Airport to the nearest railway station between 1984 and 1995. The length of the track was 600 m, and the suspension gap was 1.5 cm. The road, after operating for 10 years, was closed due to complaints from passengers about the inconvenience and was replaced by a traditional monorail.
The failure of the first maglev road in Berlin did not deter the German company Transrapid from continuing its research, and the company later received an order from the Chinese government to build a high-speed (450 km/h) maglev route from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Shanghai. The road was opened in 2002, its length is 30 km. In the future, it is planned to extend it to the other end of the city to the old Hongqiao Airport and further southwest to the city of Hangzhou, after which its total length should be 175 km.
In Japan, a road is being tested in the vicinity of Yamanashi Prefecture. The speed achieved during testing with passengers on December 2, 2003 was 581 km/h.
There, in Japan, for the opening of the Expo 2005 exhibition in March 2005, a new route was put into commercial operation. The 9 km Linimo (Nagoya) line consists of 9 stations. The minimum radius is 75 m, the maximum slope is 6%. The linear motor allows the train to accelerate to 100 km/h in a matter of seconds.
There is information that Japanese companies are building a similar line in South Korea.
Japan to launch magnetic levitation train
Japan plans to launch a magnetic levitation bullet train in fiscal 2025. Construction of the line and trains will cost approximately $45 billion.
The Chinese are against the "road of the future"
The population of Shanghai staged mass protests against local pride - a unique magnetic levitation railway, the trains of which seem to fly through the air.
“We feel as if we are living in a microwave oven, our houses have depreciated in value, realtors refuse to do business with us when they find out that our houses are located next to a train route,” complain the Chinese, whose homes are in close proximity to the “road of the future.” ". According to them, the highway emits strong electromagnetic radiation.
There are a lot of questions related to the railway, sometimes I want to throw a crowbar into the toilet, sometimes it’s interesting to derail the car, I’m generally silent about the stop valve. Today we’ll look at what happens if you lie between the rails.
I’ll make a reservation right away – I don’t recommend anyone to check this. Firstly, it is not a fact that the experimenter will survive. Secondly, have pity on the driver, what a stress it is to drive over a person (or over a person). And, thirdly, if a person survives, he can then roar to places not so distant.
Metro
Let's start with the metro. With the metro everything is more or less simple. There, at stations they specially make indentations in the form of a ditch, into which it is recommended for a person to lie if he has fallen on the rails. This is a safety technique. A person can fall on the rails by accident, jump off after something, or be pushed... 
When falling on the track, if there is no train, you must go forward in the direction of the train. Try to reach the border of the station in time, where the train is guaranteed to stop. If this is not possible, you need to lie in the tray between the rails face down and head towards the train.
Why is it important to lie feet first? So that the air flow from the train blows on a person without lifting his clothes. The face should be down so as not to see the train approaching and instinctively not jump up in an attempt to escape.
After the train stops, do not try to get out on your own. Wait until the contact rail is de-energized and for help.
Railway
With surface trains everything is more complicated. There is no recess between the rails. To answer the question posed in the title briefly, then... 
The person will survive if everything is in order with the train. But if suddenly there are some malfunctions in the undercar equipment, then everything can end badly.
Yes, the dimensions of the carriage are such that nothing will hit a person under the train.
There are many videos on the Internet of would-be experimenters who lay down under a train. I don’t feel sorry for them, even though they survived; I feel sorry for the drivers who had to endure it.
So what about the undercar equipment? In general, there are established dimensions of rolling stock from below. But sometimes it happens that some fastening, a hatch, a rod, can fall off and fatally injure a person under the train. Trains are regularly checked for such faults. But how lucky is it...
As for safety rules, in the case of a piece of iron, if a train is rushing towards you, it is better to try to jump off the rails in time than to lie on them. This is not a subway, and you can escape in about the same time as it would take to fall correctly on the tracks.
In the Moscow metro between the stations "Park Pobedy" and "Slavyansky Boulevard". According to the latest data, three people died as a result of the accident.
AiF.ru explains what to do in the event of a train accident in the metro.
What to do in case of emergency braking?
In case of emergency braking or an accident, try to grab the handrails. If you fall, try to group yourself, protect your head with your hands, and try to take off your glasses.
Under no circumstances should you jump out of the carriage until the train has come to a complete stop. If a train derails on a subway line, remember that high voltage (over 800 volts) is applied to the rail.
When leaving the carriage due to a fire or other danger, jump over the conductive rail and leave the scene of the accident through the tunnel to the nearest metro station.
What to do after the train has come to a complete stop?
If the train stops in a subway tunnel, do not leave it without instructions from the driver.
When permission is received to leave the carriage, open the doors, if possible, or break out the windows with a heavy object.
After getting out of the car, join in the rescue efforts. Break window glass, pull out the victims, and, if necessary, provide them with emergency assistance and psychological support. Avoid any wires lying on the ground: they may remain live and pose a deadly danger. Walk in the direction of the train towards the station in single file along the track between the rails, without approaching the live busbars located on the side of the rails to avoid electric shock. In the tunnel you should only exit on the right side of the train in the direction of travel, since a contact rail runs along the left side.
What to do in case of fire?
If, as a result of an accident, a fire breaks out outside the train and you find yourself locked in the carriage, do not open the vestibule doors and windows, as the flow of air can lead to an intensification and even faster spread of the fire.
If there is a fire outside the door, you should look for another way out. Close all the doors that can separate you and the fire, break out the window with a hard object and get out through it, but be careful when you jump down from the carriage - remember the high voltage.
If the train continues to move and a fire breaks out in the carriage, you must begin to extinguish the fire:
With improvised means,
Using a fire extinguisher, which is located under the seat at the end of the car.
If possible, move to a fire-free part of the car and suppress the spread of fire by knocking it down with clothing and filling it with available non-flammable liquids, such as juice, milk, water.
When boarding a train, give preference to the central cars, which in the event of an accident suffer less than the head and tail cars.