Railway safety performance in the European Union

Event:
Date, time and location:
Outcome:
Train collision with a mechanical digger
12 September 2010, Kimstad (Sweden)
1 fatality, 2 serious injuries, major damage to train
A high-speed X2000 train collided with a mechanical
digger which was on a track undergoing maintenance
works. The collision occurred at a speed of 129 km/h.
The investigation of the accident by the NIB is still under
way; the first indications show that the cause of the
accident was insufficient planning and risk analysis of the
maintenance works involving the use of the digger on the
track.
Image 6. Train collision with a mechanical digger in Kimstad station
Source: Swedish NIB.
Event:
Date, time and location:
Outcome:
Level-crossing accident
15 April 2010, 11:32, Chintulovo (Bulgaria)
2 fatalities, 1 serious injury
A rather frequent type of level-crossing accident occurred
involving a taxi and a passenger train travelling from
Karlovo to Burgas. Despite the red-light signals, the car did
not stop before the crossing and was hit by the oncoming
train. All car passengers were injured, two of them fatally.
Some 400 level-crossing users are killed each year in
the EU and it is quite common to register level-crossing
accidents involving a large number of passengers in buses.
In 2009, however, no such accident was reported.
According to the requirements of the railway safety directive,
level-crossing accidents do not have to be investigated by
NIBs, but a large number of them investigate and report
them to the Agency, as in total they often lead to a relatively
high number of casualties at national level.
Image 7. Level-crossing accident by Chintulovo
Source: Bulgarian NIB.
36