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In mid-July last year, a Südostbahn train ran along Lake Walensee towards Sargans SG. Shortly after eleven o’clock the Interregio 35 approaches the town of Unterterzen SG, all signals are green – the train with 25 passengers on board rushes towards two construction machines. They’re blocking the tracks in front of the train station.
The operator applies the brakes and is just able to avoid the impact: the Interregio comes to a stop no more than 200 meters in front of the construction machine. It was fortunate that no serious accident occurred, chairman of the VSLF drivers’ association Hubert Giger told SRF.
According to information from Blick, after several similar incidents, the association has now intervened with the federal government and called for stricter regulations.
The head of security was wrong
From the association’s perspective, the near-crash in Unterterzen is an example of the safety problem: the technology on site had registered the construction machines on the tracks and the section of the route remained red on the monitors at the SBB headquarters. This means: passage is prohibited. The responsible coordinator called the head of construction site security from the head office. He assured him that there were no more obstacles on the tracks. That is why the train traffic controller – which he is allowed to do after such a ‘local check’ – has released the route. The only problem was: the security chief was wrong.
According to the train drivers’ association, it often happens that tracks are reported as free after construction work, while there are still vehicles on the tracks and the technology has also registered them. The reason for this may be misunderstandings, but also the high workload and time pressure on construction sites. Most of the time things go well, but the risk is still high, according to the association.
A head-on collision between a train and a construction machine at high speed would have devastating consequences: many people could die. In 2019, an SBB express train in Thalwil ZH almost collided with a construction site vehicle that had been forgotten on the track. When the driver saw the vehicle, he braked just in time. In 2016, a steam locomotive collided with a gravel truck sticking out on the road at Sihlbrugg ZG/ZH train station. Two train drivers and 18 passengers were injured.
“The necessary clarifications and analyzes are still ongoing.”
From the VSLF’s point of view, a phone call to the construction site is not enough. The chance of errors is too great, as previous incidents have shown. If the technology on site indicates that a track is occupied, stricter rules must apply: in such cases, drivers usually have to drive “by sight”. In other words: so slow that you can brake in time in an emergency. According to VSLF, this only takes about ten minutes longer, but is considerably safer. The stricter rules should apply to the first trip on a newly approved route.
In response to a request from Blick, the responsible Federal Office for Transport (BAV) wrote that it was “re-examining the situation due to the intervention of the VSLF”. The agency does not want to go into detail about the requirement to drive by sight: “The necessary clarifications and analyzes are still ongoing.” The SBB signals openness: “We welcome any suggestion that can increase safety.” The claim is currently being “intensively” investigated.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
