2026-04-23 - Train collision in Denmark

[karlbbb]

AP are reporting that two trains have collided north of Copenhagen.

2 trains collide in Denmark, leaving 4 people critically injured

Two trains have collided in Denmark, leaving four people critically injured. Police have called it a major incident.

apnews.com

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Two trains collided in Denmark early Thursday, leaving four people critically injured in what police called a major incident.

The collision occurred around 6:30 a.m. near Hillerød, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Copenhagen. Twelve other people have minor injuries, according to the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department.

Everyone has been evacuated out of the trains, according to a spokesperson for the North Zealand police.


Investigators are looking into what caused the collision. Photos from the scene show the front ends of the trains smashed, though both remained upright on the tracks.

 

[Annetts key]

Now on BBC News:

Two trains collide head-on in Denmark, leaving five critically hurt​

Olivia Ireland

Published 23 April 2026, 09:02 BST,
Updated 43 minutes ago

Two trains have collided head-on on a level crossing north west of Copenhagen, leaving five people critically hurt and 12 others with minor injuries, medical officials say.

The trains were travelling early on Thursday on a line linking the towns of Hillerød and Kagerup in the North Zealand area of north-east Denmark, with a total of 38 people on board, according to police.

Tim Ole Simonsen of the Greater Copenhagen fire department was unable to say what led to the crash but told Danish TV that all the injured had been taken to hospital by air or by ambulance.

Local mayor Trine Egetved said she was deeply shaken by the accident.

Public broadcaster DR showed images of two yellow and grey trains, both with visible damage to the front, facing each other in a wooded area.

Officials said the trains collided at 06:29 local time (05:29 BST) on Thursday and fire and rescue teams were alerted immediately.

Egetved, who is mayor of the Gribskov municipality, said those with critical injuries had been flown to the National Hospital in Copenhagen.

"The local track is used by many Gribskov residents, workers and students," she wrote on Facebook.

Denmark's Accident Investigation Board arrived at the scene during the morning and Inspector Morten Pedersen of North Zealand police said they would be working together to find out what had happened.

Pedersen told reporters it was far too early to know the cause of the crash.

Rail accidents are rare in Denmark and one expert suggested one of the train drivers had ended up on the wrong line by over-riding a stop signal as the train left a local station. The Gribskov line is not thought to have been updated with an automated safety system.

Trine Egetved told public broadcaster DR that it was shocking that two trains could collide head-on "and we must ensure it never happens again".

link

 

[scosutsut]

Appears to be fully single track section between those two stations, with lots of curved sections that go though heavily wooded areas, so visibility is going to be poor.

Hope those affected make a full recovery.

 

[stuving]

The location is not clearly specified in the reports, and Gribskov municipality covers a large area. The specific place is at the level crossing on what looks like a slip road to the A19, 3km north of Hillerød station.

 

[Gloster]

The location is not clearly specified in the reports, and Gribskov municipality covers a large area. The specific place is at the level crossing on what looks like a slip road to the A19, 3km north of Hillerød station.

This appears to be correct. The area is fairly heavily wooded and the line is gently curved to the south, so reducing the distance that the trains would see each other at. The line has ATP, a simplified version of ATC.

Source: jernbanen.dk forum and Færdselskort.

EDIT: Second ATP corrected to ATC.

SECOND EDIT: The crossing lies in the section between the loops at Slotspavillonen and Kagerup halts, not far north of the former.

 

[Beebman]

Video from US news channel VERTEX (3:48 in length):

Two local trains collided head-on in northern Denmark early Thursday (23 April), leaving at least 17 people injured, with officials now confirming that five are in critical condition. The collision occurred around 6:30 a.m. near the town of Kagerup, approximately 40 kilometers north of Copenhagen, on a local line connecting Hillerød and Tisvildeleje. According to North Zealand police, there were 38 passengers aboard the two trains at the time of the impact.Rescue operations involved a massive emergency response, including ambulances and helicopters used to transport the most severely injured to Copenhagen University Hospital. While both trains remained upright on the tracks, images from the scene showed significant damage to their front sections. Gribskov Mayor Trine Egetved noted that the line is a vital route for local residents, workers, and schoolchildren. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, which occurred near a level crossing, though no further details on the technical failure were immediately available.

 

[chiltern trev]

We had a holiday in this area of Denmark in 2019 and travelled on this line using a Copenhagen card.

So below will be:

1 - a map of the lines - this map was readily available on several website and inside numerous train so well in the public domain. The image is part of the Greater Copenhagen network. The Localtog line in dark blue at the top are the ones of interest, Hillerod being at the bottom of the 'tree' of lines and where it meet the lilac E line of the Copenhagen S-tog system - line E goes to Copenhagen. Kagerup is 3 stations up in a north west direction and there are 2 services on this line - one Hillerod to Tisvildeleje and the other Hillerod to Gilleleje to Helsingor. I think the frequency at the time was every 30 minutes for most of the day.

2 a photo (my photo) of the type of train.
The Hillerod group of lines are all served using Alstom Coradia LINT 41 which is 41.89 metres long., a total of 27 units from 2006-2007. Each unit is 2 identical coaches with a high floor diving cab end and a low floor end which share a common Jacobs bogie. LINT is short for the German "leichter innovativer Nahverkehrstriebwagen" (light innovative local transport rail vehicle).
Starting at the outer end - driving cab, high floor drive bogie, engine under high floor, steps down, doorway at low floor level, multi user multi purpose low floor section (wheel chair, bicyles, pushchairs, tip up seats), then the open connection over the Jacobs bogie to the other car which is the identical.
The main depot is Hillerod.

Map follows



Photo of Lint unit, Helsingor station front in the background: