Run-over of two employees of locomotive No 98522051522-7 between Inspection Point No4 and Iliyantsi station on 7 November 2023
On 7 November 2023, at 09:23 a.m., ST 10890, consisting of 6 wagons, 24 axles, 454 tonnes, served by locomotive No 98522051522-7, departed from the sixth track at Iliyantsi Station for IP 4 and an industrial branch of Toplivo JSC.
At 09:27 a.m., ST 10890 arrived at IP 4 and continued the movement without stopping at an industrial branch of Toplivo JSC.
Around 09:45 a.m. a working group of three workers from the railway infrastructure manager arrived by road in the area of IP 4. The group wore motor cutter, a chainsaw and two canisters of fuel and oil needed to complete the task. Without informing the traffic manager on duty, they left for the interstation IP 4 - Iliyantsi to start work. Following the ‘Start of 25 km/h’ signal from km 0+180, two of the workers started mowing grass on the track gauge and the third worker walked about 30 metres in front of them. Occupational safety and health briefings were carried out to perform the activity.
At around 10:00 a.m., after the completion of the shunting, locomotive No 98522051522-7 left the industrial branch Toplivo JSC in the direction of IP 4 to Iliyantsi station. The locomotive driver reported on the locomotive radio to the duty traffic manager of IP 4 that the shunting work has been completed and only the locomotive is on its way to IP 4.
At 10:02 a.m. the traffic manager on duty of WP 4 requested a ‘consent’ from a first-person traffic manager at Iliyantsi station. After the ‘consent’ obtained through the signalling equipment, he prepared the route for passing without stopping, opened the entry and exit signal for the third track of IP 4 in the direction of Iliyantsi station.
At 10:10 a.m., ST 10891 (insulated locomotive No 98522051522-7) passed without stopping on the third track of IP 4. The movement of the locomotive to Iliyantsi station in the interstation was on a left curve with a radius of 250 meters.
At about 10:12 a.m. at km 0+320, the locomotive struck and killed one after another two of the workers working on the track gauge.
From 10:20 a.m. to 17:39 p.m. on 7 November 2023, the train movement between Inspection Point 4 and Iliyantsi Station was interrupted.