High winds can blow railway trains off tracks and cause accidents. Dangers of high winds High winds can cause problems in a number of ways: blow trains off the tracks blow trains or wagons along the tracks and cause collisions cause cargo to blow off trains which can damage objects outside the railway or which other trains can collide with cause pantographs and overhead wiring to tangle cause trees and other objects to fall onto the railway. Preventative measures Risks from high winds can be reduced by: wind fences akin to snow sheds lower profile of carriages lowered centre of gravity of vehicles reduction in train speed or cancellation, at high winds a wider rail gauge improve overhead wiring with: regulated tension rather than fixed terminations shorter catenary spans solid conductors By country Australia 1928 – 47 wagons blown along line at Tocumwal 1931 – Kandos – wind blows level crossing gates closed in front of motor-cyclist 1943 – Hobart, Tasmania; Concern that wind will blow over doubledeck trams on gauge if top deck enclosed. 2010 – Marla, South Australia; Small tornado blows over train. Austria 1910 – Trieste (now in Italy) – train blown down embankment. China Lanxin High-Speed Railway#Wind shed risk February 28, 2007 – Wind blows 10 passenger rail cars off the track near Turpan, China. Denmark Great Belt Bridge rail accident. On 2 January 2019 a DSB express passenger train is hit by a semi-trailer from a passing cargo train on the western bridge of the Great Belt Fixed Link during Storm Alfrida, killing eight people and injuring 16. Germany Rügen narrow-gauge railway, 20 October 1936: derailment of a train, five injured India One reason for choosing broad gauge in India for greater stability in high winds. Ireland On the night of 30 January 1925, strong winds derailed carriages of a train crossing the Owencarrow Viaduct of the gauge Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway. Japan Inaho Amarube Viaduct 1895 Gale blows train into sea New Zealand Rimutaka Incline railway accident Norway Makrellbekken (station)#Wind related accident – blowing snow disoriented a tractor driver who collided with a train South Africa Wind tangles overhead wiring in Cape Town, 2012. United Kingdom Tay Bridge disaster 1879 Chelford rail accident 1894 – during shunting De-wirements on the East Coast Main Line Leven Viaduct, Cumbria 27 February 1903 Cheddington 2008 – two containers blown off train – design of "spigots" criticised.