Train 7106, which was carrying 30 passengers from Podgorica to Nikšić on the evening of March 7, failed to comply with a red stop light near the Danilovgrad railway station, cut through the exit switches and ended up on the same track - that is, head-on with a freight train from the opposite direction. Fortunately, there was no contact, and the details of the entire incident will be known after the findings of the investigative commissions.
The Railway Transport (ŽPCG) claims for "Vijesti" that the passengers were not endangered, but that the first indications indicate that the human factor is responsible for the situation, that the train driver has been suspended from work, and that more will be announced after the commission's findings.
A source from the company, "Vijesti", does not share the position of ŽPCG and claims that the lives of the train driver, conductor, assistant and passengers were at risk that evening, and that the tragedy was barely avoided. He explained that when the train driver found himself on the same track, he got out of the passenger track and signaled the freight train to stop with his lights, and that it was sheer luck that there was no head-on collision...
The passenger train that departed Podgorica last Friday at around 18.30:XNUMX p.m. was driven by a train driver. GN, "Vijesti" learns.
The Directorate for Railway Transport of the Ministry of Transport told "Vijesti" that in the event of a collision, there could have been major material damage, that the passengers were transferred to alternative transport within half an hour, and that they would only write to the prosecutor's office after the findings of the inspections and commissions...
"Based on unofficial information, there are allegations that train 7106 ran a red light and cut off the exit switches, while a freight train was coming from the opposite direction. Contact was avoided, and 30 passengers remained unharmed. However, official confirmation of this extraordinary event will only be given after the investigation is completed. If an incident had occurred, it would likely have caused major material damage. The Ministry of Transport will submit all documentation to the competent prosecutor's office after the inspection and the competent commissions have completed their work, because we believe that any threat to railway traffic must be prosecuted and adequately sanctioned," the Directorate said.
The consequences of mistakes are serious.
The Directorate emphasized that the commission's investigative reports have not yet been completed, and that only after their completion will the relevant data and reasons that led to the situation be published, while the Ministry of Transport will only then make an official statement.
They pointed out that the Ministry took urgent measures immediately upon learning of the incident, and that an inspector from the Directorate for Inspection Supervision of Railway Infrastructure, Traffic and Cable Cars went to the field to coordinate the work of the first-instance and second-instance commissions, but also to take measures to establish safe traffic on that section of the railway.
"The Inspectorate has taken all necessary steps to ensure the normal functioning of traffic. Also, all passengers from train 7106 were transported to their destinations by alternative transport 25 minutes after the emergency occurred. Any error in rail traffic has serious consequences. In this particular case, no matter how much the incident was avoided, the situation shows how important it is to maintain safety procedures and train personnel. This is something that the Ministry of Transport insists on and all companies in the railway system have been repeatedly emphasized that safety must be a priority," the Directorate emphasized.
The ŽPCG said that the second-instance commission for extraordinary events is working on investigating the incident according to regulations and deadlines set by law. They announced the incident on Saturday, March 8, when they announced that traffic was restored on Friday at around 21.30:22.10 p.m., while the train from Podgorica to Nikšić departed with a delay at XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
They said then that the first indications indicate that the human factor was responsible for the situation, that the train driver has been suspended from work, and that they are asking for patience while the commissions do their work, and that the passengers on the train were not in danger.
"Therefore, ŽPCG must not influence the work of the commission, nor issue any statements or conclusions, until the second-instance commission for extraordinary events has completed its work. Once all investigative actions are completed and upon the expert findings of the second-instance commission, ŽPCG will issue a statement," the company said.
Everyone was at risk.
An unofficial source from the company, however, claims that the situation was not harmless because the train driver ignored the red light and cut through the switch, thereby endangering another train driver, conductors, assistants and passengers. He stated that the train driver stopped the train after finding himself on the same track as the freight train, and then got out of it and waved the traffic lights, asking the oncoming train to stop.
The source pointed out that he did not know the distance between the trains when the freight train stalled, but that testimony from employees on that train indicated that the passenger train then went into reverse - to reduce the severity of the situation.
"The prosecutor's office and state authorities were not immediately involved, the train driver was not tested for alcohol, and there are indications that the train was reversing. The train drivers, conductors, assistants and passengers could all have been killed. The situation is very strange, he should have waited for the red light, he cut in and went to meet the freight train and managed to stop it. The train driver worked the same job in parallel in the transport companies "Kombinovani prevoz" and "16. februar", which is why he was previously fired from ŽPCG, because he did not want to sign the annex to the contract. He was then reinstated, but the question is how?", the source pointed out.
He also claims that this is not the first incident of this kind, citing the example of another case in which a train accident could also have allegedly occurred.
In a train accident in Bioč in January 2006, 47 passengers died and more than two hundred were injured.
ŽPCG was also in trouble at the end of last year when several trains were parked, after, as was announced at the time, some employees obstructed work because they did not want to sign the annexes to the contract - which prohibit them from simultaneously doing the same job for a state-owned company and a private company without permission.
The workers then said that they refused to operate technically defective trains and demanded salary increases, and some were even fired for not signing the annex. The situation reached its epilogue after a meeting between the workers and the Ministry of Transport, when it was decided to change the content of the contract so that the employee has the right to additional work in another company in the same industry, provided that the provisions of the Law on Safety, Organization and Efficiency of Railway Transport are not violated, with the consent of ŽPCG.
In addition, the management of ŽPCG was given the opportunity to talk to the laid-off workers and, if there is a will to sign an annex to the contract, they could be reinstated.
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