Premature end

The tragic news of the train crash near Rosenheim early this morning dominated everything today. Thoughts with all the families involved.

Angie was very shocked and immediately phoned her work colleague (they share an office) who uses exactly this train service. Luckily she answered her mobile and said she was safe having taken an earlier train. Relieved but still very taken back - there are so many similarities: much of our track (45km to Buchloe) is single line, curvy and in not easily accessible areas.

She took off for a ride and I picked up Flash where the photo was taken. They are about to canter up a hill. I turned around and left at this point. Angie later reported she was lucky to get to the top and survive the rest of the ride. Sultan was a bundle of nerves and she needed every trick in the book to stay onboard. I didn't say so, but I suspect it was simply her nerves being transmitted.

"Glück in Unglück" could be applied to the accident - Luck in Disaster. Weather should be very different at this time of year but also storm Imogen also still around. The storm had gone by quicker than expected, leaving still, warm, dry weather, ideal for helicopters and rescue work. The train was not full as it's an unofficial half day, many taking holiday (as did Angie) and schools closed.

The emergency service seemed to have worked exactly according to the book. The initial response would have been almost entirely voluntary fire brigade and ambulance services most of whom would still have been at home at that hour. Huge credit to all the emergency services, also from Austria who assisted.

Now the search for the cause. No doubt the fact that it was a privatised train service belonging to a French company. Started in 2013 with lots of initial problems on safety which caused lots of bad publicity but were sorted by the end of 2015.  No doubt the calls to cancel the newly signed deal for the privatisation of the Nuerembeg railways to a British company will get louder. It is though looking like "human error".

Radio has toned down all it's music, TV cancelled comedy programmes, most of the carnival processions and events been cancelled and even the traditional beer tent political meetings by each of the four main parties for tomorrow, the call to arms, big Ash Wednesday speeches, have been cancelled.