R2021-S1 Themed investigation into accidents and incidents occurring in urban rail traffic

The objective of the investigation was to examine the current safety status of urban rail traffic.

The investigation examined statistics on tram traffic from 2021 and metro traffic from 2020–2021, compiled on the basis of deviation reports from urban rail traffic operators. The investigation also covered accidents and incidents in metro and tram traffic during the investigation period, from 1 January 2022 to 30 June 2022, and provided examples on urban rail traffic accidents and incidents. The investigation made use of legislation, regulations and guidelines on urban rail traffic. Safety recommendations were prepared based on the investigation results.

Metro and tram traffic are often considered a single mode of transport. They are fundamentally different, however, and simply because of the operating environments, the development of their safety requires different indicators and targets.

In metro traffic, unauthorised access to the tracks was the most common risk factor. There is unobstructed access to the tracks at the stations, and the current control-based procedure is insufficient. Another significant finding was the need to use the exception signal almost daily due to faults. When the exception signal is used, some of the safety systems are bypassed.

In both metro and tram traffic, there were situations where doors opened on the wrong side of the carriage, exposing the passengers to danger. This has not been prevented by technical means in the entire rolling stock. Several recurring clusters of faults involving switches and signalling systems, for example, were observed in the metro and tram traffic in Helsinki. Due to the nature of the notification system, the safety implications of recurring faults may be overlooked.

A significant number of minor accidents and incidents takes place in tram traffic. Typically, other road users are unaware of the seriousness of the tram traffic accident risks or fail to abide by the regulations. However, the damage is limited in most cases due to the relatively low speeds in tram traffic.

To avoid accidents and incidents and to improve the safety of urban rail traffic, the Safety Investigation Authority recommends that:

1. Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd investigate solutions to boost monitoring and prevent un-authorised access to the track area.
2. Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd investigate the possibility of preventing the opening of doors from the wrong side by technical means in both metro and tram rolling stock.
3. Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd develop the safety equipment of the metro network for monitoring that the tracks are clear so that the need to use an exception signal is reduced.
4. Cities with tram traffic take the special characteristics of tram traffic into account in the de-sign of streets and pedestrian and bicycle routes, and aim to design traffic arrangements so that they will guide other road users to act safely and in accordance with the regulations.
5. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency ensure that the operators distinguish safety-related issues clearly from defect notifications in the notification and processing pro-cedures for deviations in urban rail traffic, and that safety deviations are systematically pro-cessed and analysed.
6. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency specify safety targets and monitoring methods for metro and tram traffic.