Naro-Fominsk rail crash

The Naro-Fominsk rail crash occurred on 20 May 2014 when a freight train derailed near Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The train was run into by a passenger train. Nine people were killed and 51 were injured.

Naro-Fominsk rail crash
The accident occurred near Nara station, Naro-Fominsk.
Details
Date20 May 2014
12:32 Moscow Standard Time
LocationBetween Bekasovo and Naro-Fominsk, Russia
60 km (37 mi) south west from Moscow
Coordinates55°23′03.2″N 36°46′08.2″E
CountryRussia
LineMoscow – Kiev
OperatorUkrainian Railways (freight)
Moldovan Railways (passenger)
Incident typeDerailment and collision
CauseUnder investigation
Statistics
Trains2
Passengers394
Deaths9
Injured51

Accident

At 12:32 Moscow Standard Time (08:32 UTC) on 20 May 2014,[1] a freight train derailed between Bekasovo and Naro-Fominsk on the Moscow – Kiev railway. The derailed wagons fouled an adjacent track.[2] A Moscow – Chisinau, Moldova passenger train collided with the derailed wagons, killing nine people and injuring 51;[3][4] 29 of whom were taken to hospital.[5] There were 394 passengers on board.[2] The passenger train was operated by Moldovan Railways.[6] It was travelling at 95 kilometres per hour (59 mph) before the driver made an emergency brake application, having seen the cloud of dust caused by the derailment of the freight train. The seventh and eighth carriages of the train were those most severely damaged in the accident.[1] The side of one of the carriages was ripped open in the accident.[7]

Victims were taken to hospitals in Moscow, Naro-Fominsk, Odintsovo and Selyatino.[1] Two victims were flown by helicopter to a Moscow hospital.[5]

The stretch of track which the freight train derailed on was under repair at the time of the accident.[2] A broken rail is suspected to have been the cause of the freight train derailing;[5] however, a broken axle on one of the wagons may also have caused the accident.[8] The line between Aprelevka and Nara station, Naro-Fominsk was blocked by the accident, with buses replacing trains. By late evening, one line was reopened, allowing Moscow commuters to travel home by train. Passengers bound for Moscow were transported by bus.[9]

Investigation

The Russian Investigative Committee opened an investigation into the accident.[2] A criminal investigation was also opened into the accident. Causes under investigation include a broken rail, the condition of the freight train and the driving of the freight train.[4][6] Speaking in Shanghai, China, Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out terrorism as a cause.[10] Subsequent inquiry revealed that the end reason of the derailment was the sun kink on the seamless rail due to thermal expansion and improper maintenance.[11] The problem with the rails was known and attempts to rectify them were made, but couldn't be completed in time before the accident, because the institutional culture discouraged the personnel from interrupting the traffic on a busy line.[12] Additional blame was placed on the maintenance team trying to rectify this problem, which failed to notify the controllers and the train crews about track work they were conducting.[13]

References
  1. Машинист пассажирского поезда пытался избежать столкновения [Passenger train driver tried to avoid a collision] (in Russian). Life News. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  2. Rogulin, Dmitry. "Railway repairs reported to be in progress before trains' collision near Moscow". ITAR-TASS. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  3. Prokofyev, Vyacheslav (20 May 2014). "Death toll in train collision near Moscow climbs to 9 — source". ITAR-TASS. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  4. Melnikov, Valery (20 May 2014). "Over 50 People Injured in Train Collision Near Moscow – EMERCOM". RIA Novosti. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  5. Duker, Grigory (20 May 2014). "6 Dead, 25 Injured in Train Collision Near Moscow". RIA Novosti. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  6. Rogulin, Dmitry. "25 remain in hospitals after Moscow region train crash on Tuesday". ITAR-TASS. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  7. "Several dead and dozens injured in Russian train crash". Deutsche Welle. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  8. "Freight and passenger trains collide near Moscow, at least 9 killed". Pravda. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  9. Rogulin, Dmitry (20 May 2014). "Commuter train traffic resumes on one of railway tracks after accident near Moscow". ITAR-TASS. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  10. Dukor, Grigory (21 May 2014). "No Reason to Call Train Collision Near Moscow Terrorist Attack – Putin". RIA Novosti. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  11. "Ространснадзор возложил на РЖД вину за крушение поездов в Подмосковье". Vedomosti. 27 May 2014.
  12. "Задержан еще один подозреваемый по уголовному делу о столкновении двух поездов в Наро-Фоминском районе". 29 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014.
  13. "Владимир Якунин объявил итоги расследования ЧП в Подмосковье". Gudok. 29 May 2014.
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