C5/2005R Derailment of two freight train cars on Kontiomäki railway yard in Finland on 15 July 2005

On 15 July 2005 an incident took place on Kontiomäki railway yard in Finland: two freight wagons derailed. The wagons were carrying turnout elements. The incident occurred when the freight train arrived at Kontiomäki from the Kajaani direction. Track 16 had been secured as the travelling route for the freight train that arrived on Kontiomäki railway yard at a speed of 20 km/h. When reaching the south end of the yard, the train then travelled to a turnout lane between two turnouts and now the first two wagons of the train derailed. The train still travelled a distance of about 50 m before stopping, as a result of the breaking of a brake conduit. The incident caused only minor damage.

The incident resulted from the combined effect of the work site track and the long wagons. Between the V049 and V054 turnouts, a temporary site track had been constructed for the time of the ongoing track work. The track featured several consecutive curves. Such curves may cause running problems particularly for long wagons. When the freight train entered the track, its two long turnout-carrying wagons in front derailed. In addition, the rail packing was rather flexible, thus contributing to the occurring of the incident.

The Accident Investigation Board of Finland does not make any recommendations as based on this incident, as the risks involved remained relatively small. Nevertheless the Investigation Report includes some factors that should be paid attention to in the future, e.g. advance planning of construction work and interactive planning, building and exploitation, as well as transport operation restrictions concerning certain cases.

C5/2005R Report (pdf, 0.69 Mt)