Train cleaner drives Stockholm train into house

[scarby]

In an accident at 2.30am, a train on the Saltsjöbanan local line in Stockholm barrelled through the buffers at the Salsjöbaden terminus and into an apartment building.

It is believed the driver was a cleaner. She was the only person injured (seriously) in the crash. The train would have had to pick up considerable speed to smash through the buffers and continue into the house, so it appears it must have been driven from the depot.

http://www.thelocal.se/45616/20130115/#.UPUv8mfit-0

In Swedish, with video. If you scroll down you can see from the small pictures how the train has ploughed through the buffers and veered off to the left.

http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/tag-kraschade-in-i-bostadshus/

 

[jon0844]

Bloody hell. It was only a few years ago that someone reversed an X2000 into the buffers at Malmo central to get it in position for the morning (before the new tunnels opened as trains now pass through underground)!

 

[455driver]

Door to door service, just another way European railways are better than ours!

 

[jon0844]

I've often thought it would be nice to have a train that stops right by my house. I do have to emphasise the word 'by', as in not 'in' my house, however.

 

[tsr]

From compartment stock to apartment stock in just a few simple steps...

 

[jon0844]

If all trains took people right to their front door, I think we'd finally see people giving up their cars!

I bet if someone set up a petition for this and posted it on Facebook, Twitter etc it would get loads of signatures too.

 

[GatwickDepress]

I wonder why she did it. Got a little bored/drunk/didn't have a good enough computer for RailWorks?

From compartment stock to apartment stock in just a few simple steps...

Ah, you made me titter out loud there!

 

[WatcherZero]

Grand Theft Loco

 

[PaulHarding150]

If all trains took people right to their front door, I think we'd finally see people giving up their cars!

I bet if someone set up a petition for this and posted it on Facebook, Twitter etc it would get loads of signatures too.

Yeah and Cardiff to London would take two days rather than two hours

 

[Kilted_Scot]

Ooops, guess she was in a rush to get home......

 

[87015]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/15/cleaner-injured-train-building-stockholm

He said it was unclear how she got the keys to the train, but added that driving it was not that complicated.

"Generally speaking that's possible even if you're not a train driver," he said. "You can read about it on the internet, or observe how others do it."

Forum needs a popcorn smiley...

 

[jon0844]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/15/cleaner-injured-train-building-stockholm

Forum needs a popcorn smiley...

While I guess drivers can easily argue that driving isn't that simple, if your intention is to drive fast and crash then I guess it IS true that anyone could do it!

 

[neilmc]

Anyone can drive a train/bus/car, etc in terms of making it go - it's getting it to stop safely and correctly that's the difficult bit.

 

[westcoaster]

Or as I say anyone cane drive a train, but not everyone can control a train.

 

[Lrd]

From compartment stock to apartment stock in just a few simple steps...

Brilliant!

 

[185]

Arriva the train's owner, could consider properly paying employees not minimum wage via contract firms in future. But, they won't.

 

[tsr]

Ah, you made me titter out loud there!

Brilliant!

Why, thank you!

You haven't heard the one about the wheel flat yet...

 

[dooton]

I'd imagine pending the investigation there will be some lessons to be learnt. Once they find out how she got hold of the keys that is, surely they should be kept locked and accessed by drivers/depot workers only.

 

[D1009]

In a pub in Exeter I was in last night someone suggested she had been drinking the cleaning fluid!

 

[455driver]

Once they find out how she got hold of the keys that is, surely they should be kept locked and accessed by drivers/depot workers only.

They are regularly sold on flea-bay, I have got about a dozen drivers keys including the first one I was given after passing out* as a driver (that one has not even had the plastic bag opened never mind used, sad or what ).

* As in completing my training not head-butting the floor.

 

[scarby]

There's been a bit of a climb-down now over the suggestion that the cleaner did this deliberately, and it's suggested that it may have in fact been an accident.

Obviously if for some reason she was "allowed" to move the train and it went wrong it would be a much more plausible explanation than that she had some kind of mental aberration and decided to take the train and smash it through the buffers.

 

[jon0844]

Whoever gave permission for someone unqualified to move a train is surely going to have some awkward questions to answer!

 

[scarby]

Whoever gave permission for someone unqualified to move a train is surely going to have some awkward questions to answer!

Today it has in fact emerged that the cleaner has been absolved of any wrong-doing.

Arriva has had to make an embarrassing climb-down as they had hinted that they thought it was a deliberate act and she would face prosecution.

In fact it appears that numerous safety guidelines have been breached. While I wouldn't want to make assumptions myself, it's not hard reading between the lines to see what kind of irregular practice may have been ongoing.

 

[reb0118]

I'd imagine pending the investigation there will be some lessons to be learnt. Once they find out how she got hold of the keys that is, surely they should be kept locked and accessed by drivers/depot workers only.

Certain railway cleaners do have in fact access to train keys including driving keys. In some depots they have to start up trains to access power for their heavy cleaning equipment.

Not sure if the said lady was a bona fide rail worker though? I have heard that she is not doing too well in hospital. Whoever is to blame I hope she improves.

 

[Zoidberg]

There's been a bit of a climb-down now over the suggestion that the cleaner did this deliberately, and it's suggested that it may have in fact been an accident.

...

Today it has in fact emerged that the cleaner has been absolved of any wrong-doing.

Arriva has had to make an embarrassing climb-down ...

I was looking for an article covering this and found only http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/18/3188842/sweden-train-crash-deemed-an-accident.html . That is perhaps a reflection of bad Google skills.

Extract:

STOCKHOLM -- Swedish authorities have dropped a criminal investigation against a woman previously suspected of stealing a commuter train that crashed into an apartment building.

Investigators on Friday said the woman probably started the train by accident as she was cleaning it at a depot early Tuesday.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/...n-crash-deemed-an-accident.html#storylink=cpy

Has anyone come across any other sources?

 

[swj99]

Has anyone come across any other sources?

Only this one off the BBC. - Swedish cleaner not to blame for train crash - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21088672

 

[Zoidberg]

Only this one off the BBC. - Swedish cleaner not to blame for train crash - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21088672

Thanks - I'd just come across that and had revisited this thread to update my post - no need, now

 

[185]

She started the train up (not unusual), they believe the brake handle was already off, compressor has built air up, brakes have come off and it's rolled away.

Any competent member of staff would have pulled a pass-com/emergency brake, and assuming she has pulled it, it makes you wonder if they were working. Occasionally, trains on depot have their brakes clipped open for works.

I recall being given a 158 from Heaton some years ago with only 1 bogie out of four having working brakes, three were still clipped open. My driver only noticed it at Micklefield Jn, and with an emergency stop it took us until Crossgates (10mi) to stop.