Gotthard accident: ‘problem was with the train, not the infrastructure’
The train derailment that occurred Thursday 10 August inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel might cause the structure to be closed for quite some time. This is because the door that separates the two tunnels was damaged and needs to be replaced, which is not an easy task and could take weeks. Moreover, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) specified that the accident was caused by an issue with the convoy and not with the infrastructure.
As SBB claimed, the 32-wagon freight train was running at 100 km/h when a wagon derailed at the interchange in Faido. SBB did not disclose which company was operating the convoy and does not yet know who is the owner of the derailed wagon. “The train was running north and, at the Faido interchange, it broke in half”, SBB claimed during a press conference on 11 August. Faido is where an additional track connects the two tunnels, which are normally separated by a special door that gets opened only when needed. The derailment caused a wagon to hit the door and damage it. As SBB added, the restart of circulation is highly unlikely until it gets replaced. For now, they confirmed that the tunnel will be closed at least until 16 August at 23:59.
Alternative for freight trains are scarce
SBB pointed out that the only valid alternative for international rail freight traffic is to add one train every hour on the railway passing through Lötschberg. This is because other alternative routes are not available at the moment. For example, the Brenner Pass is currently closed for maintenance work until 23 August. For the services that cannot be redirected on other railways, the only alternative is to use the road, SBB explained.
‘Too early to assess the damage’
Despite admitting that the damage to the infrastructure and rolling stock is significant, SBB stated that it is not yet possible to have an educated estimate. This is because SBB technicians have yet to enter the tunnel and properly assess the situation. SBB stated that the machinist was safely brought out of the tunnel by the authorities. The train was carrying, among others, a significant amount of wine, which partly flooded the rail tracks. However, SBB said that there is no risk for the wine to leak into Swiss waters because the tunnel is equipped with a closed circuit equipped for such events. Moreover, the hazmat wagons were empty and were promptly removed from the tunnel. According to SBB, the rest of the convoy should be removed from the tunnel by the end of today, which will allow the company’s technicians to enter the tunnel and assess the damage.
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