Report on accident 2 February 2017 at Holstein Metro station
Railway report 2018/01
On Thursday 2 February 2017, a 16-year-old girl died when she fell between the platform and a metro train leaving Holstein station. The girl had just disembarked the metro train and was on her way to the exit when she made a ‘dance-like’ move and stepped between the platform and the side of the train. The train had started moving, and the driver did not see the girl falling. The investigation has not uncovered any faults as such in the platform, train or Sporveien T-banen AS’s procedures. Some areas where there is room for improvement have been identified.
A similar incident took place in 2013, when a 17-year-old boy died at Høyenhall after falling down between the side of the train and the platform. Following the accident, Sporveien T-banen AS conducted a risk analysis and proposed several measures for implementation. Some of the proposed measures were not implemented, however.
The AIBN submits three safety recommendations following this investigation. The recommendations concern raising passenger awareness of the risks of falling onto the track, considering measures on the trains and following up that the gap between the train and the platform is under control and is kept at a minimum.
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation JB No 2018/01T
On Thursday 2 February 2017, a 16-year-old girl died when she fell between the platform and a metro train leaving the station. Falling between the platform and the train entails a great risk of serious personal injury or death. Sporveien T-banen AS has previously concluded that physical barriers between the edge of the platform and the track would be too costly and uncertain a measure to introduce on existing platforms.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Railway Authority request Sporveien T-banen AS to consider measures to raise passenger awareness of the risk of falling onto the track.
Safety recommendation JB No 2018/02T
On Thursday 2 February 2017, a 16-year-old girl died when she fell between the platform and a metro train leaving the station. There are gaps big enough for a person to fall onto the track between each carriage and where the train sets are connected.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate follow up Sporveien T-banen AS’s further work to consider measures on train sets to reduce the risk of persons falling between the train and the platform.
Safety recommendation JB No 2018/03T
On Thursday 2 February 2017, a 16-year-old girl died when she fell between the platform and a metro train leaving the station. At Holstein station, the distance between the side of the train and the edge of the platform was measured to 160 mm in a gentle curve. The ideal distance is approx. 100 mm for straight tracks, and the gap is bigger in curves. Regular inspection and maintenance of stations is required to ensure that they meet the distance requirements. Sporveien AS was planning to carry out an extra inspection of the distance between the train and the platform in December 2017.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate follow up that Sporveien T-banen AS has the distance between the train and the edge of the platform under control and that it is kept to a minimum.
Facts
| Location | Holstein metro station |
| Occurrence date | 02.02.2017 |
| Train No | 504 |
| Type of Transportation | Metro |
| Type of occurrence | Embarking and disembarking |
| Rolling Stock | Multippel Unit (MU) |