Crevalcore train crash

Cargo train n.59308, engine FS Class E652.100, left Rome in the morning of 7 January, headed to San Zeno-Folzano with a full load of girders.

Some of them suffered extensive damage even though they were all MDVE class, a very widespread Italian steel-framed design which has proven itself safe since the early 1980s.

Among the victims were all four train conductors (Vincenzo De Biase and Paolo Cinti from the Intercity, Equizio Abate and Ciro Cuccinello from the cargo).

The ghostly wreck – much bigger than expected – emerged from the fog "like a movie scene" (as stated by a rescuer questioned by University psychologists), just four to five meters away from the torn carriages.

Hallucinations were documented among some responders (for example, a severed human head was seen above the piled up coaches), inducing some cases of mass hysteria.

[2] After the Crevalcore crash, new procedures of stress management and psychological counseling were developed to help responders better cope with the consequences arising from this sort of incident, moving from self-managed stress control (such as, for example, relying on the need to keep a "tough guy" stance in front of fellow responders) to a group-based approach (one such approach involves conducting "ceremonies" to help those involved rationalize the shocking experiences).

He had already been suffering from post-traumatic depression after being involved in the Lavino di Mezzo (Bologna) derailment more than eight months before, and his friends' tragic endings are thought to have been a factor in his suicide.

Ultimately, the predominant blame was placed on De Biase, with minor remarks about the line's lack of extra safety measures.

An upgrade to a two-rail line has been completed in 2009, along with installation of SCMT (a device self-limiting train speed if needed) and SSC centralized control systems.

[1] Trenitalia blamed the lack of upgrade on unexpected funding cuts and missed payments by Silvio Berlusconi's government.

Just 10 months later the new SCMT automatic control was installed, and cargo trains routes were changed in order to lighten the load on single rail stretches in favor of better equipped main lines.

Railwaymen unions' requests for reduced speed limits in dense fog, new rules for train crossing and calls for a full scale deployment of automated traffic control systems on the whole Italian network went unheeded.

[7] A 24-hour strike was held on 16–17 January 2005, in protest against the cuts to safety budget and the practice of blaming drivers and engineers in crashes where better equipment could have been a lifesaver.