C3/2006R Derailment of five freight wagons between Tupovaara and Heinävaara, Finland, on 13 July 2006

On Thusday, 13 Jyly 2006, at 4:41 pm, a freight train en route from Tuupovaara to Joensuu was derailed about 10 km from Tuupovaara in the direction of Joensuu. The train was carrying timber. There were no casualties. A 100-metre stretch of track was damaged, and five wagons were partially damaged and later scrapped.

The accident was caused by the formation of a heat curve on the track. The rail buckled because it had a weak structure made of light rails, wooden railway sleepers and gravel ballast. The heat curve was released below the train and derailed the last five wagons of the train. Repair work at the scene also had a negative impact on track stability.

The Accident Investigation Board of Finland is not issuing any recommendations as a result of this accident because the track has little traffic and the risks of a similar incident are very low.

C3/2006R Report (pdf, 0.72 Mt)