C2/2004R Methanol carrying wagons derailing on Kaukomarkkinat Oy's track at Hamina port on 15 April, 2004

On Thursday April 15, 2004, an incident took place at Hamina port: three methanol carrying Russian tank wagons derailed. As a result, the track was damaged over a length of about 50 metres.

The incident was caused by the poor condition of the track owned by Kaukomarkkinat Oy. In fact the welding of the j-form rail fastenings made of flat bar iron proved deficient, as only the ends of the fastenings had been welded to the base plates. The detaching of a few fastenings generated a chain reaction that resulted in the detaching of the outer curve fastenings over a track length of about 40 metres and in a widening of the track under the wagons.

In order to prevent similar accidents in the future, the Accident Investigation Board of Finland recommends that the condition of such privately-owned tracks and turnouts on which dangerous goods are carried be inspected once a year by a competent expert. Moreover it is recommended that the Railway Technical Rules and Regulations (RAMO) include instructions on rail fastening by means of a j-form flat bar iron.

C2/2004R Report (pdf, 0.3 Mt)

•Recommendation S201

•Recommendation S202