Goods train derailment near Apeldoorn
On 30 April 2003, a goods train loaded with steel coils derailed close to Apeldoorn, leading to considerable havoc. The investigation by the Transport Safety Board has demonstrated that the derailment was caused because the goods train passed through a set of points at a speed of 70 kilometres per hour, whilst a maximum speed of 40 kilometres per hour was permitted. This excessive speed was due to a lack of alertness on the part of the driver, caused by sleepiness. There is even a possibility of ‘microsleep’, a brief period of sleep (up to 30 seconds) followed by a period of ‘sleep-induced sluggishness’ during which it is possible to react, but less rapidly and less accurately. Another factor which probably contributed to the derailment was the insufficient securing of the steel coils as a result of which they were able to shift. The report before you clearly shows that this derailment cannot be considered as a oneoff accident, but that it was due to structural safety shortcomings. The most important safety shortcoming relates to insufficient control of the speed of goods trains. A second safety shortcoming relates to the loading process.
Goods train derailment near Apeldoorn
Report
