The Unidad de Investigación de Accidentes Ferroviarios (UIAF), under EFE Trenes de Chile, released the preliminary report regarding the derailment of a freight train that occurred on Saturday, May 9, near the Chiguayante station. According to the document, the root cause of the incident would have been the detachment of a wheel from the bogie of one of the cars.
In this regard, EFE Sur communicated that “from an administrative point of view, the documentation of the crew in charge of the train’s mobilization was reviewed. The train was heading towards Coronel and was transporting 44 cars loaded with 2,833 tons and measuring 579.4 meters in length. Both the driver and the assistant driver 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 managed to establish as preliminary conclusions that “the derailment begins at the southern entrance of the Chiguayante station, where wheel N°7 of car BDC-1025 detaches from the bogie, due to the shearing of the axle journal. In the dynamics of the derailment, the Fepasa train splits, involuntarily activating the emergency and traveling in that condition for approximately 290 meters.”
“It is identified that the shearing of the journal of car BDC-1025 is caused by overheating in its bearing. At the starting point of the derailment, no infrastructure conditions are identified that contributed to its initiation. Preliminarily, and based on video recordings, a travel speed of the Fepasa train through the Chiguayante Station can be estimated at 40 km/h. This information will be confirmed with the black box record requested from the carrier,” he added.
Thus, the report indicates as a preliminary cause that “because the end of an axle of car BDC-1025 shears due to overheating, it causes the disconnection of the wheel from the Bogue 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); the Fepasa incident report, the report on infrastructure damage, and the statements of the crew, among other elements.
Regarding the reopening of passenger services as of Tuesday, May 12, the general manager of EFE Sur, Nelson Hernández, highlighted that it will be done through one of the tracks that was least affected and whose complete recovery work will be carried out throughout the day on Monday, May 11.
“We will perform static and dynamic tests, of the track geometry before putting it into operation, because it is a strict safety standard for the operation. The services that will be carried out 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 emphasized.
