THE SAINT-MICHEL-DE-MAURIENNE DERAILMENT, THE WORST RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN HISTORY 

Did you know that the worst railway accident in history (by death-toll) is only being surpassed by a derailment that happened when a train was derailed and submerged during the 2004 Tsunami at Sri Lanka which claimed at least 900 lives?

Trains have been around for over 200 years, but their immense size and power are still impressive to behold. The average modern passenger train car can weigh up to 80,000 pounds—the weight of a fully-loaded semi-truck. Add that trains can have up to six or seven cars and travel between 90 and 100 mph, and you have a true marvel of transportation and physics. However, while largely safe, the physical power and sheer weight of trains make accidents even more devastating.

The single worst railway disaster in history, the Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne incident took place the same year as the Ciurea Rail disaster where over 700 deaths were recorded. During World War I, a train carrying over 1,000 passengers (almost entirely French soldiers) traveled from Italy into France for a short respite from the fighting. While the soldiers hoped for a small holiday away from the fighting, many of them would not have the chance to return home.

Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne is a municipality of 2467 people (as of 2019, the oldest number is 3958 for 1962) in southeastern France, located 114km /71mi south of Geneva (Switzerland) and 60.5km/37.5mi east of Grenoble (both measurements in linear distance). 

M612 was a military train carrying French soldiers on their way home from the front for the Christmas holidays. Almost all the passengers had come from the Italian front. The plan was set in motion to improve morale in the wake of widespread mutinies the French army had faced in Summer 1917. The train had originated at Vicenza in Italy and was headed for Chambéry in France. By the time the train was ready to depart Modane station it consisted of a baggage car, 15 four-axle passenger cars, another baggage car and 2 fixed-axle passenger cars with two axles each. All train cars were constructed with a wooden body on a steel frame. 

According to official records, 982 soldiers were on 19 train cars as it left for the station in the Maurienne valley. However, even more passengers may have been present and unreported due to locomotive shortages in wartime. The train engineer originally refused to leave the station due to the conditions of the train, but gave in to the commanding officer’s threat of punishment.

The train departed Modane late on that wintery night, at 11:15 pm. The steep grade, in addition to the over-packed cars, caused the train’s brakes to fail as it descended into the valley. The train reached speeds in excess of 80 mph as it approached the station—far beyond its design limits.

The brakes functioned on only three of the cars, causing several of the wooden cars to derail at a mountain pass. The wooden cars smashed into one another, ignited by the candles used by the train workers in lieu of electric lights (which were not functioning). The situation was made critical by the unauthorized possession of grenades and explosives by soldiers onboard, as well as the geography of the crash site—the mountain walls provided no vent for the heat, causing the fire to intensify.

Official reports say that between 700 and 800 passengers were killed, but the situation was classified for many years due to the military’s part in the disaster. In addition, accounting for fatalities was difficult due to the fire, which burned until the following morning. Only 432 bodies could be identified of the approximately 800 deaths. Up to 1,000 deaths are possible due to the overcrowding of locomotives at the time and the military’s insistence on classifying the accident.

The accident is immediately classified as a military secret and remains that way for 90 years. The French press is ordered to remain silent on the matter, the largest publication at the time is a 21-line note in “Le Figaro” 4 days after the accident. Six employees of the PLM, including the surviving train driver, face a military trial over the accident, but all are acquitted. 6 years after the accident the French Minster of Defense inaugurates a memorial to the victims at Saint Michel de Maurienne’s cemetery, in 1961 the remains are exhumed and transferred to the national military cemetery at Lyon. By 1998, at last, a monument is unveiled near the site of the accident. It lists the old claim of 425 victims, a number generally agreed to wildly undercut the actual death toll.

The accident is generally considered the worst railway accident in history by death-toll, only being surpassed by a derailment that happened when a train was derailed and submerged during the 2004 Tsunami at Sri Lanka with a claimed death-toll of at least 900. However, the argument can be made that those two events cannot be compared as the latter was a natural disaster.

The gross negligence that led to the derailment and fire at Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne no longer takes place nowadays, with military trains being treated like regular passenger services and being closely monitored. Furthermore, railways no longer use manual brakes for operational deceleration, instead modern train cars have pneumatic lines throughout the train for braking, eliminating the job of a brakeman. Lastly, aside from historic trains on special tours, wooden train car bodies are a thing of the past.

Sources:

https://www.arnolditkin.com/blog/train-accidents/the-5-worst-train-accidents-in-history/

https://mx-schroeder.medium.com/commanded-catastrophe-the-1917-saint-michel-de-maurienne-france-derailment-4f1f2d218d2d