C36/​1997R De­rail­ing of freight wag­ons in Pori, on Oc­to­ber 30, 1997

30.10.1997

On Thursday, 30 October 1997, the last four wagons in a train with 42 wagons became derailed in Pori. The wagons were loaded with lumber and on their way to the Mäntyluoto harbour. The accident and the subsequent clearance and repair work prevented traffic to Mäntyluoto and to the engine depot. The accident had only an indirect impact on passenger traffic. The total economic loss was less than FIM 40 000.

The most probable cause for the derailing was that the switch had been activated under the second to the last wagon. This activation of the switch could have been caused by vandalism.

In order to avoid similar derailings, the Accident Investigation Board recommends that manual switches on tracks used for train traffic always be secured by a clasp that can be locked. Alternatively, switches should be equipped with a security lock or be made electric.

Recommendation S104