2005 Åšwinna Rail Crash

The Åšwinna rail crash, also known as JeleÅ›nia runaway train, was a runaway train accident involving two passenger trains on Skawina – Å»ywiec railway line 97 in Poland on 19 December 2005. The brakes in passenger train running from Sucha Beskidzka to Å»ywiec stopped operating after it entered the steep sloped section of line, reaching speed of 90 km/h and creating the threat of head-on collision with another passenger train, going in opposite direction from Å»ywiec to Sucha Beskidzka. Due to coordinated efforts of train dispatcher at JeleÅ›nia station and crew of both trains, the trains eventually collided in a controlled manner in Åšwinna, Silesian Voivodeship, just outside Å»ywiec. 2 members of train crews and 6 passengers were injured.

Trains involved

Two passenger trains were involved in the accident. The first one was 34527 from Sucha Beskidzka to Żywiec, operated by EN57-840 EMU; the crew members were Czesław Gołuszka (driver) and Lucyna Kubieniec (conductor). The second one was 43524 from Żywiec to Sucha Beskidzka, operated by EN57-1271 EMU; the crew consisted of driver Ryszard Budziak and conductor Maciej Polak. There were at least 30 passengers aboard both trains.

Accident

At 14:00, train 34527 departed Sucha Beskidzka. 33 minutes later, train 43524 left Żywiec. As the railway line from Skawina to Żywiec is single track, the trains were scheduled to cross at Jeleśnia railway station, halfway between Sucha and Żywiec, at 14:58.

However, at 14:38, when 34527 approached Hucisko stop - the highest point on the line, located at 550 m.a.s.l. - GoÅ‚uszka saw that his train had problems with braking. After the train left Hucisko and entered the steep sloped section of the line - JeleÅ›nia station is located lower than Hucisko, at 425 m.a.s.l. - both main brake and handbrake stopped reacting. GoÅ‚uszka completely lost control over EN57-840, which started accelerating above the speed limit of 40 km/h.

After every attempt to stop the train failed, Kubieniec moved all passengers to the last car. When 34527 passed through Pewel Wielka, at 14:45 Gołuszka radioed the train dispatcher in Jeleśnia station, Danuta Gancarz, to inform about the danger and call for help.

The rules of infrastructure owner, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe, stated at the time that a runaway train has to be directed onto a dead-end track. However, Gancarz decided to do as Gołuszka requested – she set the junctions at the station so 34527 could pass through - and radioed the driver of 43524 train to Sucha Beskidzka, Ryszard Budziak, ordering him to stop and reverse immediately because a runaway train was coming at him. Budziak did so, additionally sending the conductor Maciej Polak to the cab used in direction of Sucha so he could inform him about the distance between the trains.

The train 34527 passed through JeleÅ›nia railway station with speed of 90 km/h. Minutes later, Polak, still standing in the rear cab of 43524, saw the approaching EN57-840. He relayed the distance between both trains to Budziak, who managed to speed up the train to 70 km/h. When the distance decreased to 30 meters, Polak retreated into the passenger compartment after radioing it, while Budziak engaged the brakes of EN57-1271 in order to stop both trains before a railway bridge in Å»ywiec.

When both EMUs collided, EN57-840 was travelling at 85 km/h, while EN57-1241 speed was 65 km/h. The trains stopped after travelling further 300 meters.

Both drivers – Budziak and Gołuszka – and six passengers were injured, but there were no fatalities. There was also damage to both EMUs and track.

Causes

The investigation determined that the cause was icing on composite brake blocks, with bad weather and temperature below zero as additional factors. This was confirmed by a control drive with similar EN57 EMU on 28 December, 9 days after the accident. The final conclusion was that the composite brake blocks made of FR502 material used in EN57 EMUs in Poland were dangerous to the safety of Polish railways.

Composite brake blocks

The brakes in EN57 EMUs consist of two parts: the brake block and its holder (''obsada''). The brake blocks are made of cast iron or composites; in contrast to the former, composite ones are cheaper, more durable and emit less sounds during braking. EN57-840, which operated as 34527 train on 19 December 2005, was equipped with composite brake blocks of LL type (of low friction coefficient) made by Frenoplast company from composite material marked FR502. The composite's ingridients were wrong, and the testing was not conducted properly.

The issues with FR502 composite brake blocks were noted in 2004, after their introduction. In his interpelation to Ministry of Infrastructure, Stanisław Żelichowski noted that the composite brake blocks lowered the effectiveness of braking, emitted smoke during braking, and caused wheel locking. The low effectiveness of FR502-made brake blocks at low speeds and low overall effectiveness of handbrake was also noted in Polish Railway Drivers' Union journal, Głos Maszynisty, 4 days before the accident.

The CEO of Frenoplast, Bohdan Bułhak, stated in February 2006 that the situation was a conspiracy against his company.

Aftermath

On 23 January 2006, PKP Przewozy Regionalne retired all composite brake blocks made of FR502 material. This was followed by two Office of Rail Transport decisions: first on 31 January, which cancelled the certificate issued for FR502-made brake blocks, and second on 2 February 2006, ordering all operators to retire FR502-made brake blocks before 1 April.

Both train crews and train dispatcher from Jeleśnia received Medals for Sacrifice and Courage from President of Poland Lech Kaczyński in 2006.

References

{{Railway accidents and incidents in 2005

Railway accidents in 2005
Runaway train disasters
Train collisions in Poland
December 2005 events in Poland
2005 in Poland