Tank Wagon Maintenance Queries | Photo 02

Cylinder split after overhaul in March. Magistrate says there were omissions

VIAREGGIO – Leave the wreck of the last tank wagon behind you and walk 3-400 metres back down the line. On the way, you will see that that one of the tracks is worn at regular intervals. It’s a sign that the train’s wheel was already shaking at that point. The wheel would run smoothly for a few metres but then the friction would build up, leaving deep scratches in the steel. In the end, the wheel went out of true because the outer cylinder fixing it to the bogey sheared off. The wheel jumped the track at the first bend, causing the derailment. This is thought to be the most likely scenario at the disposal of magistrates and police to explain the dynamics of the disaster. It’s also a scenario that leads straight to the key issue in the inquest conducted by the Lucca public prosecutor’s office. Were maintenance and revision of the tank wagons carried out in compliance with the safety protocols? Probably not, if we are to judge by prosecutor general Beniamino Deidda’s comments: “The incident did not come about by chance. It was the result of actions, or failures to act, that will be assessed and identified”. Clearly, a steel structure should not fail catastrophically, as happened at Viareggio. Let’s start with the derailed train. It belongs to the huge American corporation GATX, which owns 160,000 tank wagons for the transportation of petroleum derivatives such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The GATX European fleet, run from bases in Germany, Austria and Poland, comprises 20,000 carriages, which are leased out. “We deliver them in perfect condition”, explains a GATX executive based in Vienna, “and from there on, management, maintenance and routine checks are the responsibility of the lessee”. In this case, the rolling stock was hired by FS Logistica, which belongs to the Italian state-owned railway company, and was being used for a service contract with the SARPOM refinery at Trecate, in the province of Novara. Yesterday at 4 pm, the train pulled into the refinery to load up with LPG. Before it left, the checks that precede every journey – inspection of documents and tank wagon bogies – should have been made. This is another point that will have to be investigated. In fact, the wagon that derailed is relatively new. It was built in 2004, registered in Germany and overhauled on 2 March. But the key issue to be cleared up is the complicated maintenance procedure. GATX leases the train, FS Logistica uses it for its SARPROM service but when the time comes for maintenance, it is the owner who gets in touch to indicate the appropriate workshop (“In this case it is our responsibility”, the Vienna office confirms). The railway company also says that everything it is responsible for is in order. So why did no one spot the damage? The component that sheared off keeps the wheel in line with the bogie. The term may not be strictly correct but the part resembles a big bolt on the outside. Initial tests reveal that a crack may have formed inside the steel over time as a result of wear and tear or rust. It’s a problem that may not have been visible from the outside but proper maintenance for the steel component should include ultrasonic testing, an X-ray-like procedure that reveals any internal micro-fissures. Carlo Vaghi, a transport expert who teaches at Milan’s Bocconi university, explains that all the parties involved “should verify the train’s correct use and safety conditions. It’s a matter of checking the physical condition of the carriages and not just the papers”. This is the point that the unions stress. The ORSA union says that in freight transport safety, “there are well-defined but totally undemanding standards. As regards maintenance, all it takes is self-certification by the user company”. The interior minister, Roberto Maroni, explained: “If we find out that safety regulations for the transport of dangerous materials are inadequate, we’ll change them”. One last detail known to investigators introduces an element of inevitability into the equation. The tanks were built to resist impacts when overturned. Three of the four tank wagons that came off the track withstood the impact without leaking but the fourth wagon fell onto a track-side signal, which impaled the tank allowing LPG to escape through the gash. All it took to cause the explosion was a spark.

English translation by Giles Watson

http://www.corriere.it/english/09_luglio_01/viareggio_b7574834-6642-11de-8bcb-00144f02aabc.shtml