New RAIU report (June 2013) ,

dowlingm

Level crossings again.

R2013-002: Tractor struck train at level crossing XE020, County Clare

On the 20th June 2012 at 14:50 hours the 14:15 hours passenger train travelling from Limerick to Galway was involved in a collision with a tractor at level crossing number XE020 which is located close to Cratloe, County Clare on the R462. The driver of the train was initially unaware of the
collision and continued to Sixmilebridge Station. The tractor driver although shocked was uninjured and the tractor sustained frontal damage. There was a substantial delay in alerting and communicating with the emergency services to assist their attendance at the scene.

The immediate cause of the accident was that that tractor entered the swept path of the train as the train was travelling through the level crossing.

The contributory factors identified were:

• The viewing distances failed to meet the requirements set out in of Iarnród Éireann’s CCE-TMS-380, Technical Standard for the Management of User Worked Level Crossings;
• The Tractor Driver had to position the tractor within the swept path of the train in order to look for trains;
• The Tractor Driver had been using the railway signals to estimate train approaching times, a system which may have been adopted due to the poor viewing distances at the level crossing but contradicts the instructions given in the Safe Use of Level Crossings guidance booklet.

The underlying factors identified were:

• Having been unable to close the level crossing due to a lack of agreement between the relevant land owners, Iarnród Éireann did not introduce adequate safety measures as a result of the inadequate viewing distances at the level crossing;
• Iarnród Éireann may not have prioritised work at this level crossing as a result of the low risk rankings awarded by Iarnród Éireann’s Level Crossing Risk Model.

The following additional observation, not relating to the cause of the accident, was made during the investigation:

• The signalman did not have the sufficient information immediately available to him to assist the Emergency Services to respond to the accident scene.

The RAIU made three new safety recommendations, related to the occurrence, as follows:

• Iarnród Éireann should close, move or alter the level crossing in order to meet the required viewing distances in Iarnród Éireann’s technical standard CCE-TMS-380 Technical Standard for the Management of User Worked Level Crossings;
• Iarnród Éireann should review their systems of managing level crossings that fail to meet the viewing distances in Iarnród Éireann technical standard CCE-TMS 380 Technical Standard for the Management of User Worked Level Crossings to ensure that any mitigation measure that is introduced is effective at reducing the risk to level crossing users;
• Iarnród Éireann should audit their Level Crossing Risk Model, to ensure it correctly identifies high risk level crossings; and identifies appropriate risk mitigation measures for individual level crossings.

One new safety recommendation was made as a result of an additional observation made and one previous RAIU safety recommendation is re-iterated as a result of this investigation.

eejoynt

Does anyone find it disturbing that the raiu took a year to produce a report on a near miss?

dowlingm

Since the train did impact the tractor and caused damage to both I wouldn't class it as a near miss. There was quite a bit of background work to be done in looking at the prior recommendations, interviewing the parties plus they re-enacted the scene. A draft might have circulated before final publication.

eejoynt

Hmmm
Seeing its exam time
Compare and contrast with rail response times

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Carawaystick

dowlingm wrote: »

There was quite a bit of background work to be done in looking at the prior recommendations...

Pure civil service stuff taking time to review what they did already...

I suppose there was no-one injured ...
No passengers anyhow thankfully

Losty Dublin

These reports are in effect written a few weeks after the incident and relative parties are in possession of the draft reports by then. The delays occur mainly from a requirement for legal examination by all parties and to allow for any amendments needed prior to accepting the findings. Any ongoing insurance claims or litigation delays the reports public release as well.

monument

eejoynt wrote: »

Does anyone find it disturbing that the raiu took a year to produce a report on a near miss?

No, this is the public report. As is standard, much of the actions required have been taken or underway.

Carawaystick wrote: »

Pure civil service stuff taking time to review what they did already...

I suppose there was no-one injured ...
No passengers anyhow thankfully

Have you read the report?

It's standard accident investigation practice to follow up contact strikes with such reports.

dowlingm

I wonder what IE's response has been to the report basically saying that they have been imposing arbitrary TSRs rather than tailoring them to the sighting distance, which might have resulted in something nearer 10mph. To be fair while RAIU said "keep trying to buy out the farmers" IE have closed a number of crossings in recent years. Just a pity that there isn't a bit more money available to do more.