The preliminary report of the accident that took place last Saturday in Madrid by which a Renfe train without passengers derailed around the 5:00 p.m. has confirmed that the convoy was “drifting and at high speed” for more than four kilometers.
The Railway Accident Investigation Commission (CIAB) has already published the file that will study this accident, in which it briefly explains the events that took place in this high-speed tunnel that connects Chamartín and Atocha.
This is train 97015, which left from La Sagra (Toledo) bound for the Fuencarral workshops (Madrid). It was made up of two units of the series 114 high-speed regional train, the first towing the second – which was damaged –, with a crew made up of a train driver and two maintenance technicians.
The train circulated through the high-speed tunnel of Atocha to Chamartinbut at the entrance to the Chamartín station the lead unit (tug) suffered a tensile failure which prevented him from going up the entrance ramp to the station (about 30 thousandths).
More than four kilometers of drift through the tunnel
To overcome the ramp, the engineer and the command post agreed that the train would go backwards to gain momentum from a flatter section. While this maneuver was being prepared, the damaged train unit (the towed one) broke free from its hitch and began to drift down the tunnel without brakes, without a battery and with the two technicians on board.
After more than four kilometers of drifting through the tunnel (with slopes of between 12 and 30 thousandths), the unit arrived at high speed at the trivialization point of Botanical gardenwhere it was changed from track 1 to track 2, so, on the next curve after the track change, the unit derailed and went off on a tangent, crashing into the tunnel wall.
The first three cars of the unit (in the direction of drift) overturned, while the fourth remained derailed, but in an upright position. After sliding for a certain distance, losing speed, the unit stopped at approximately kilometer point 7,000.
“The two maintenance technicians who were on board the train were able to escape safely after it stopped. There were no fatalities or serious injuries, but there was serious damage.both in the accident unit and in the tunnel infrastructure,” the report points out.
This event falls into the category of ‘serious accident‘ in accordance with the regulations governing the investigation of railway accidentsfor the amount of damage caused and its effect on safety management.
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