• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
The Railway Accident Investigation Unit (UIAF), part of EFE Trenes de Chile, has released the preliminary report regarding the derailment of a freight train that occurred on Saturday, May 9, near Chiguayante station. According to the document, the root cause of the incident was the detachment of a wheel from the bogie of one of the cars.
In this regard, EFE Sur reported that "from an administrative point of view, the documentation of the crew in charge of mobilizing the train, which was traveling towards Coronel and was carrying 44 loaded cars with 2,833 tons and a length of 579.4 meters, was reviewed. Both the engineer and the assistant engineer had their licenses and certifications up to date, and the cars and locomotives had their corresponding permits."
According to the analysis of the background information, the UIAF has established as preliminary conclusions that "the derailment began at the southern entrance of Chiguayante station, where wheel N°7 of car BDC-1025 detached from the bogie due to a fracture of the axle journal. In the dynamics of the derailment, the Fepasa train fractured, activating the involuntary emergency brake and traveling in that condition for approximately 290 meters."
"It is identified that the fracture of the journal of car BDC-1025 was caused by overheating in its bearing. At the point of initiation of the derailment, no infrastructure conditions were identified that contributed to its onset. Preliminarily, and based on video recordings, a speed of 40 km/h for the Fepasa train passing through Chiguayante Station can be estimated. This information will be confirmed with the black box recording requested from the carrier," it added.
Thus, the report indicates as a preliminary cause that "due to the overheating that caused the end of an axle of car BDC-1025 to fracture, the wheel became uncoupled from the bogie structure, initiating the derailment."
For the preparation of the final report, the UIAF will incorporate other background information, such as the event recorder of the involved locomotive (black box); Fepasa's incident report, infrastructure damage report, and crew statements, among other elements.
Regarding the reopening of passenger services starting Tuesday, May 12, the general manager of EFE Sur, Nelson Hernández, highlighted that it will be done through one of the less affected tracks, whose complete recovery work will be carried out throughout Monday, May 11.
"We will conduct static and dynamic tests of the track geometry before putting it into operation, because it is a strict operational safety standard. The services that will run tomorrow will be with full safety for users, for our crew, and for the environment. The preliminary report has indicated that there is no link between the accident and our infrastructure," Hernández remarked.
