The Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Rail Accidents (GPIAAF) has recommended initiating a formal safety investigation into a collision that took place on June 18 at 8:00 PM, resulting in four minor injuries in Alpedrinha, within the municipality of Fundão, Castelo Branco district.
The GPIAAF noted that the driver of the heavy vehicle (a refrigerated semi-trailer) was navigating the route for the first time and stated that upon entering the railway crossing, he had to significantly slow down the vehicle, nearly halting due to the road’s layout and uneven pavement, to cross safely.
As he began crossing the railway, the driver heard the bells signaling the approach of a train and attempted to proceed to exit, but was “surprised by the closing of the exit barrier ahead, partially blocking the road,” according to the investigation office.
After a brief hesitation, the truck driver reportedly decided to maneuver around the barrier through a space on the right side, at which point the train collided with the truck’s trailer, the note reveals.
The GPIAAF indicated that the railway crossing lacked additional safety systems such as obstacle detection (the barrier is triggered by approaching trains through rail-mounted sensors) and the road had none of the prescribed traffic markings like stop lines or lane separators.
The route that the truck followed approached the railway crossing at a 40-degree angle to the railroad’s perpendicular, with a subsequent 37-degree curve just before the exit side barrier, it was noted.
Also, the crossing’s exit barrier did not display the alert message “Break in case of emergency.”
The GPIAAF reports that the railway system signaled the crossing 30 seconds before the train collided with the truck, with barriers lowering 11 seconds post the automatic announcement initiation.
The train operator saw the truck at the crossing from about 175 meters away and engaged the emergency brake, slightly reducing the speed of the Intercidades train (traveling towards Lisbon from Guarda with 118 passengers), which hit the trailer at 75 kilometers per hour (km/h).
The train took approximately 14 seconds to halt, coming to a stop just over 135 meters past the crossing.
Following the crash, a fire erupted at the rear of the trailer, spreading to the rest of the truck and reaching two of the train’s carriages, with the ignition and spread mechanism remaining “unclear.”
The collision is estimated to have caused substantial damage to the locomotive and five carriages, as well as 250 meters of overhead traction power infrastructure, with damage costs calculated between 150,000 euros and two million euros.
The GPIAAF suggests the investigation should focus on the criteria for defining train crossing announcement times at railway crossings, their inspection, and legal framework, among other concerns.
