Gotthard train derailment – “The immense damage could have been prevented” – News

Why did the train derail in the Gotthard Base Tunnel? Sust – the Swiss Safety Investigation Board – is responsible for finding out. As of today, it assumes a broken wheel. Railway expert Ruedi Beutler explains in an interview why the immense damage could have been prevented.

Ruedi Beutler


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Among other things, the independent railway expert investigated incidents in railway operations for the Swiss Safety Investigation Board Sust.

SRF News: How can it be that you couldn’t foresee such a broken wheel?

Ruedi Beutler: The fine cracks that emanate from the wheel tread can only be checked in a workshop during the inspection activities. Such cracks cannot be detected in the fixed installation and when the train passes. The technology isn’t quite there yet.

Use of derailment detectors in rail freight transport


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Train derailments account for a significant proportion of rail accidents. Depending on the general conditions, derailed freight trains can still travel several kilometers before the derailment is noticed.

In addition to the massive damage to the superstructure, the risk of a collision with infrastructure facilities (e.g. signals, platforms, bridge pillars, tunnel portals) or even oncoming traffic increases with the duration of towing a damaged vehicle.

The aim of derailment detection instruments is to keep the potential extent of damage as low as possible. There are basically two ways of proceeding: either, after detecting a derailment, a mechanism automatically intervenes in the train’s main air pipe and triggers emergency braking, or the system triggers an alarm for the train driver.

Broken wheels are extremely rare in rail traffic, but when they do occur, the damage is huge. 15 years ago, more than 100 people died in Eschede, Germany, because a wheel tire broke and the ICE train derailed. Aren’t there any technical systems that can stop trains immediately if a wheel breaks?

In the case of the accident in Eschede, the type of wheel was not the same as on freight wagons. Yes, there is a way to minimize the damage, the so-called derailment detectors. These detect when the train shakes. The shaking causes immediate braking and the train stops after a few hundred meters. There are electronic systems that can also be built into a passenger train. They can also detect derailment vibrations and lead to braking.

Why aren’t such derailment detectors required by law?

It involves effort when such a freight train is shunted in the shunting area or rolls down a shunt. There are vibrations that can trigger these derailment detectors. They tried to save money and possibly did without the detectors.

The damage would have been much smaller with derailment detectors.

Could the immense damage to the Gotthard Base Tunnel have been prevented with a derailment detector?

Yes. If it is determined that the train has derailed, which is quite possible with the derailment detector, the main line is immediately vented and a train stops after a few hundred meters – and not waits somewhere after eight kilometers. The damage would have been much less.

The conversation was conducted by Nicole Roos.

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