Report on serious incident on the metro track between Sinsen and Carl Berners plass 26 February 2016
Railway report 2016/07
In Norway, road-rail vehicles are used for maintenance assignments on railway, metro and tram tracks. Maintenance work is normally carried out at night, often in several places at the same time. In the early hours of Friday 26 February 2016, the brakes of a road-rail vehicle failed during maintenance work near Sinsen metro station. There were two people on board, and the driver’s perception of the situation was that it was not possible to stop with the brakes available. They therefore chose to jump from the vehicle before it gathered too much speed. Both people sustained slight injuries as they hit the ground. They were able to notify a work team that was working on the track approximately one kilometre from where they had jumped off. They then proceeded in the direction the road-rail vehicle had taken and found it approximately 600 metres down the track towards Carl Berners plass, where it had come to a halt. An examination of the brake system after the incident showed that there was no brake fluid in one of the hydraulic circuits, and that the brake pressure was unstable in the other circuit because of an internal leakage in the main cylinder. The Accident Investigation Board Norway’s investigation showed that the brake system for the rail wheels on the road-rail vehicle constitutes a safety risk, as the brakes are not fail-safe.
The following findings were made during the investigation:
• The brake system is not in accordance with the Legal Requirement Regulations, BOStrab or EN 15746.
• The Norwegian Railway Authority did not detect the faults in the brake system when it authorised use of the road-rail vehicle.
• The maintenance procedures were not able to prevent the faults that occurred.
• The pre-use checklist was not designed in a way that enabled the driver to detect the faults.
• The driver received no automatic warning of the faults (pressure drop) in the brake circuits for the rail brakes.
The supplier, SRS Sjölanders AB, states that it has delivered more than 300 track maintenance vehicles with similar brake systems. According to the Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket), 24 vehicles belonging to private maintenance undertakings may be used for work assignments on their track systems.
The AIBN submits one safety recommendation requesting the undertakings to consider the introduction of restrictions on use of vehicles with this type of brake system.
Photo: AIBN
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation JB No 2016/08T
In the early hours of Friday 26 February 2016, a road-rail vehicle was engaged in maintenance work near Sinsen metro station. The brakes failed at the work site and the crew jumped from the moving vehicle. The vehicle rolled uncontrolled for 600 metres before it stopped. The brake system for the rail wheels does not meet the fail-safe requirements of the Legal Requirement Regulations.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Railway Authority request the undertakings to consider the introduction of restrictions on use of vehicles with this type of brake system.
Facts
| Location | Sinsen |
| Occurrence date | 26.02.2016 |
| Type of Transportation | Working engine |
| Type of occurrence | Runaway train |