Local mayors demand automatic train braking after second major collision in 29 years

Three mayors in North Zealand are calling for an investigation into why many of the region’s single-track local railways lack automatic train control (ATC) systems, following a serious collision on the Gribskov line that left five people severely injured. The demand comes 29 years after a fatal crash on another North Zealand route led to the installation of such safety measures, DR reports.

The accident occurred Thursday on a stretch of the Gribskov line, where two trains collided on a single-track section without automatic braking. In 1997, a similar collision on the Hornbæk line—also single-track—killed two people and injured around 20, prompting the installation of an ATC system there in 2002.

Hillerød mayor Christoffer Lorenzen (Conservative) questioned why the safety upgrade had not been extended to other lines. “I’m puzzled that this was only implemented on that one stretch and not on all the other Zealand routes, which, to my knowledge, still lack it,” he said. Together with Gribskov mayor Trine Egetved (Conservative) and Halsnæs mayor Steffen Jensen (Social Democrat), he is pushing for a review of safety measures.

“We simply demand action in this area to prioritise safety and ensure an automatic braking system is in place on this line as well,” Lorenzen stated.

The Gribskov line, operated by Lokaltog A/S, is one of Denmark’s busiest single-track local railways. Safety chief Claus René Pedersson acknowledged that while current measures were previously deemed sufficient, the latest incident requires reassessment. “An event like this forces us to re-evaluate whether what we have is adequate for a line like this,” he said.

Automatic train control (ATC) prevents collisions by automatically braking if a driver misses a stop signal or exceeds speed limits. A simplified version, ATP, was installed on the Hornbæk line after the 1997 crash. However, funding for such upgrades depends on political decisions. While Denmark’s state-owned railway operator, Banedanmark, has prioritised ATC on main lines, local routes—funded primarily by regions—have seen slower adoption.

On Zealand and Lolland-Falster, only the Hornbæk line has ATC; the other nine local railways do not. In Jutland and Funen, most local lines are equipped with the system, though exceptions remain, including routes like Hjørring–Hirtshals and Frederikshavn–Skagen.

A 2006 regional plan estimated the cost of installing ATC on Copenhagen-area local lines, including Gribskov, at 60–70 million kroner (approx. €8–9.5 million). Previous accidents, such as an eight-fatality collision in Sorø in 1988, had already highlighted the risks of relying solely on manual signal compliance. Tommy Odderskjær Jensen, a railway safety expert with the engineering association IDA, noted that such incidents led Banedanmark to adopt stricter controls in the 1990s.

Recent near-misses, including a 2024 incident where a train departed Nr. Asmindrup Station without clearance, have further exposed vulnerabilities on single-track lines, where trains alternate directions on the same rail.