R2019-E1 Collision of IC65 train to an object on the track on the direct line between Haarajoki and Korvensuo on 20 January 2019
On Sunday, 20 January 2019 at 11:53, a violent jerk was felt and a metallic clanging sound heard in the first wagon (sold as number 6) of the IC65 train on route from Helsinki to Oulu. As a result of the jerk, the back rests of three seats on the lower level of the wagon flopped down backwards to their lowest position. Additionally, the incident caused a water leak in the freshwater system of the wagon's upper level toilet, and the end door of the wagon section got stuck in the closed position. Two passengers who travelled on seats complained about pain in their necks after the incident.
According to the statements of the passengers, conductors came into the wagon around ten minutes after the incident. The passengers told the conductor about the incident. The conductors reported the matter to traffic control, which in turn reported the matter to the centralised rail traffic control. Because there was no precise information on the extent of the damages, the train was stopped on the next scheduled station in Lahti, and replacement transport was arranged for the passengers for the rest of the journey.
The damages to the bottoms of the wagons was caused by a hatch shielding plate that had become detached from the end of the wagon. While rolling below the wagon, the shielding plate had become wedged between the bottom of the wagon and the sleepers, causing the jerk and sounds registered by the passengers. Due to the weak structure of the back rests of the seats, the jerk broke the incline mechanism of the seats. The shielding plate had become detached to the south of the Korvensuo station. The cause for the detachment cannot be precisely determined due to the exact location of the event being unknown. It is possible that the wagon's screw coupling had come loose from its hook and hung loose, with the continuous impacts to track equipment, particularly the ploughing covers of the axle counters, causing the shielding plate to become detached.
Figure 1. General image of the damages on the bottom of wagon Ed 28007 (Photo: SIA)
Figure 2. Photograph of a wagon with the shielding plate in place. The dimensions of the plate are 500 x 376 mm. It is made of 8 mm steel plate and weighs 14.2 kg. In the photograph, the screw coupling is hanging loose. (Photo: SIA)Published 30.1.2019