C17/​1998R Tank wag­ons de­rail­ing at Sköld­vik on No­vem­ber 24, 1998

24.11.1998

On 24 November 1998, Tuesday evening, a train accident occurred on Sköldvik railway yard. In the accident two wagons carrying gasoline tanks derailed in a turnout. The train was heading straight ahead on track 2 for Kerava, but immediately upon its starting, one of the wagons which was south of the V014 turnout, turned aside in the direction of track 3. With its flank ahead, the wagon hit a rail-bound maintenance vehicle standing on track 3 and stopped. Also the three wheelsets of the wagon behind derailed and rolled between the rails. Both of the derailed wagons and the rail-bound maintenance vehicle remained in an upright position.

After the accident a fire brigade was alarmed to be in a position of readiness over the time of the derailed wagons being lifted back on the track. Before the lifting operation the load of the second derailed wagon was pumped into a road tanker. No leaks were detected in the tanks and both the pumping and the lifting of the wagons took place safely and without any problems.

The accident was most probably caused by the fact that though an exit permission had been given to the train, the V014 turnout had failed to be adequately turned to the corresponding position required by the running route.

Accident Investigation Board Finland recommends that the V014 turnout on Sköldvik railway yard and all other turnouts used in corresponding tasks, be modified for electrical operation and equipped with position control contacts or at least a safety lock. Also the work division among the railway yard employees should be defined unambiguously.

Recommendation S112