Radbruch Caused Freight Train to Derail – Control System Powerless
Published: Thursday, Sep 28th 2023, 09:52
Mise à jour le : Vendredi, 13 octobre 2023, 14:12
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The Swiss Investigation Office (SUST) has confirmed in an interim report that a wheel break was the cause of the derailment of a goods train in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The existing train control systems were unable to detect the existing damage to the wheel. The wheel break can be traced back to fatigue cracks in the metal, as stated in the interim report released on Thursday. Such fatigue cracks grow with continued use until the wheel breaks with force. The SUST found no evidence of operational deficiencies as a cause of the accident. According to the current state of the art of the train control systems used in Swiss railway infrastructure today, the cracks could not be detected. Technical train inspections in operation can only partially detect a crack, depending on its size. In addition, cracks can only be detected in the visible area of the wheel. This damage corresponds to a safety warning issued by the Belgian and Italian supervisory authorities in 2017. In 2016 and 2017, several cracks and breaks occurred in the wheels of the corresponding type in Belgium and Italy. Measures to limit the risk in operation and during maintenance were then taken. According to the SUST documentation, a fragment of the wheel broke off about ten kilometers after entering the tunnel. Subsequent fragments then detached. The axle hung diagonally under the wagon. The last fragment broke off 17 kilometers from the tunnel portal. The axle hit the switch of the Faido track change and destroyed it. The following 16 goods wagons derailed. The train was torn apart between the 13th and 14th wagon and some wagons landed on the diverting track. Significant damage was caused to the tunnel infrastructure. The SBB expects repair work in the west tube of the base tunnel by the end of the year. The SUST's interim report is provisional.
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