There are those certain people out there who think trains are invincible. They think “Trains can’t crash; they run on tracks, which stop them from veering off course”. In fact they could probably make it to their destination without drivers. This of course, is not true. Here are ten reasons why a train could easily crash or derail:

1. When a train takes a curve, it puts a lot of stress on the train. Since both wheels are traveling the same direction at the same speed, they want to go straight. The track at a curve however, disagrees. If this sudden change happens too fast, the train will derail.
2. An object on the tracks can cause the train to actually fly right off the tracks, especially if the object is stuck on the track. (The next time you think about putting a rock on the tracks, you should think again.).
3. Splitters allow trains to switch tracks, and if they are accidentally left in the wrong position, it can have disastrous effects, causing the two trains to collide head on
4. An engineer falling asleep can be catastrophic. Although there are systems in place, such as the dead man’s braking system, to stop such horrible things happening, disasters do occur.
5. Trains, just like planes, can indeed be hijacked, and when the situation isn’t handled properly, the train can be crashed by the hijacker, or by the confused and scared engineer
6. Cars on the track at railway crossings can destroy the balance of the train on the tracks, causing it to fall over or derail. A train collides with a car every 90 minutes, in the U.S. alone!
7. Trains can indeed loose their braking abilities, causing them to run off the end of the railway line, or even hit other trains
8. It takes only one miscalculation to underestimate, or miscalculate the weight of a train. This can lead to in turn, underestimating the required amount of braking power to stop it.
9. Runaway trains can be a huge problem. When a train is on a hill, it can roll away on it’s own when sufficient braking isn’t applied.
10. A very bad cause of rail accidents is the engineer using his train as a suicide tool. It’s not only pointless, but everyone on board has to die with him/her.