Two Imperio trams collide head-on in Bucharest, one passenger taken to hospital

The collision

Two Imperio trams collided head-on on Saturday morning, 14 November, at the intersection of Calea 13 Septembrie and Șoseaua Progresului in Bucharest. The Traffic Brigade said it was alerted through the 112 emergency line at around 06:00. Images that București FM published on Facebook show serious front-end damage to one of the trams.

The police described the incident in a statement distributed to the press:

“Traffic police were alerted through the 112 emergency line to a traffic accident involving two trams.”

Injury and checks

A 40-year-old passenger was injured and taken to hospital for medical care, police said. The drivers of both trams were tested with breathalyzers, and the results were zero. Early media accounts differed on the passenger's condition. Digi24 said the person was reported to be stable and that no serious injuries had been recorded, while Ziare.com, citing Antena 3 CNN, said the passenger had suffered a panic attack. The police statement does not describe how the passenger was hurt.

Cause under review

Police said investigations are under way to establish the exact causes and circumstances of the crash. Digi24, citing preliminary information, reported that the collision may have been triggered by a fault in an electric switch at the intersection, which had been put into service only a few days earlier. According to that account, the switch did not respond to commands from the drivers, and one tram may have changed direction and entered the track of the other, which was coming from the opposite direction. The technical examination of the switch is meant to show whether it worked correctly and whether it carried out the drivers' commands. These details remain unconfirmed in the articles reviewed.

Traffic disruption

The Bucharest Transport Company (STB) said trams on lines 1, 10, 11, 25 and 47 were initially blocked at the intersection, and buses on lines 122, 226 and 385 were diverted around the crash site. Traffic on Calea 13 Septembrie was restricted in both directions between Șoseaua Panduri and strada Mihail Sebastian while investigators worked at the scene. Digi24 reported that one tram had already been removed from the intersection and that crews were working to restore normal service. Circulation was later resumed, although the articles do not give a time for that.

What remains unknown

No final damage assessment or repair deadline has been published. Digi24 reported that repairs could be costly because replacement parts carry high prices, and that work on trams of this kind can take several months, depending on the extent of the damage and the availability of components. The articles do not say how many trams are out of service.

Earlier incidents on record

Libertatea reported, citing a response from STB to a request for information, that 841 events have involved Imperio trams since December 2022. The figure covers events in which the trams were involved, and the excerpt available does not say how many of them were collisions. The article does not link that figure to Saturday's crash.