Safety note about a collision between passenger train and car at Grundset level crossing on 20 July 2024
Railway report 2025/SN1
On 20 July 2024, a passenger train from SJ Norge AS collided with a car on an unsecured level crossing on the Rørosbanen. The driver of the car died in the collision.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority's assessment is that there is good visibility at the site and that the visibility requirements are in accordance with Bane NOR SF's regulations. It has not been possible to determine with certainty where the driver was focused and what assessments were made prior to the collision. The driver of the car was familiar in the area.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) has prepared this safety note with the intention of improving railway safety. This is a summary in which NSIA promotes safety-related learning from the accident, without having initiated a full safety investigation.
In connection with this accident, the NSIA wishes to highlight the following points:
• In Norway there are around 1,270 unsecured level crossings. To ensure safe passage, whether driving or walking, it is critical to pay attention and obtain sufficient visibility in both directions to avoid a collision with railway vehicles.
• A user of a level crossing can contact Bane NOR to get information about what kind of visibility requirements at the crossing are based on. If this does not correspond to real use, it is important to communicate this to Bane NOR, so that safety requirements can be met. If the change of use is temporary, Bane NOR may decide to deploy one of its principal site safety supervisors.
• Trains have a very long stopping distance and rarely have the opportunity to stop if a person or a vehicle comes onto a level crossing when a train is about to pass. There is a high risk that a collision with a train at a level crossing will have a fatal outcome for the road user.
Stop – Look – Listen for trains
Grundset unsecured level crossing . Photo: NSIA
Published 31.01.2025
Facts
Location | Grundset level crossing |
Occurrence date | 20.07.2024 |
Train No | 2383 |
Type of Transportation | Passenger train |
Type of occurrence | Level-crossing accident, Collision |
Rolling Stock | Multippel Unit (MU) |
Operator | SJ Norge AS |