Safety of train traffic

Accidents in train traffic

The safety of train traffic remained at a good level in 2024 – no collisions between trains, or collisions between trains and other rolling stock, occurred during the year. There was one derailment in train traffic in 2024. It occurred in Tampere freight yard in January as a freight train that had started moving was derailed by a stop block left on the track.

The number of collisions due to obstacles reported in train traffic was 60 in 2024, which is very similar to the previous year's figure. In earlier years, great fluctuation has been seen in annual numbers of collisions due to obstacles, largely resulting from changes in reporting practices. Slightly more than one half of the collisions due to obstacles in 2024 included collisions with banks of snow left by a snow plough at level crossings. The next largest number of reported collisions were due to trees falling onto the track. Other obstacles that trains collided with included contact lines hanging loose and ice blocks on the track.

In addition to these cases, a few collisions with snow banks have been reported as occurrences at level crossings, and a few collisions due to obstacles were also reported in the category 'Other accident or incident'. Furthermore, numerous collisions occurred in train traffic due to objects and items maliciously placed on the track.

Six fires in rolling stock occurred in train traffic in 2024, one of which was classified as a significant accident due to the resulting traffic interruption of more than six hours. The number of fires in rolling stock was slightly lower in 2024 than in previous years. During the five years preceding 2024, an average of ten fires in rolling stock occurred per year.

Incidents in train traffic

Accidents in train traffic are rare, which means that random variations play a major role in their yearly numbers. As a result, the development of the yearly number of accidents is not the best indicator for the development of safety in the short term. Incidents occur more frequently than accidents, which means that monitoring their number and severity makes it possible to obtain a clearer picture of the safety development trends than when looking at accidents. However, it is important to note that a change in the yearly number of reported incidents may indicate not only changes in the safety situation but also in the culture of reporting occurrences.

In 2024, there were 72 incidents meeting the criteria of the EU Common Safety Indicators in Finnish railways (Directive on railway safety 2016/798). The total number of incidents is very similar to the previous year's level (76 in 2023).

In 2024, there were 17 cases of signal passed at danger in train traffic. Their number was slightly lower than in the year before. The number of cases of signal passed at danger in train traffic has decreased clearly in recent years. Between 2019 and 2023, the average number of annual cases of signal passed at danger was 29, and before that (2015–2018), the corresponding figure was 54. The factors that have contributed to the reduction are not known. These incidents typically occur at low speeds, and the automatic train protection (ATP) device stops the rolling stock as soon as the signal has been passed. The risks associated with passing a signal at danger are higher when operating without ATP.

In 2024, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency was notified of 42 broken rails and five track buckles. The number of broken rails was more or less at the same level as in the previous two years. For a few years now, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has systematically collected information on the causes of broken rails and the measures they require. As in previous years, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency organised welding days for those who work in welding to improve the quality of welds, and maintenance also enhanced its supervision of matters related to welding. The work to develop ultrasonic inspection equipment that was started in 2022 also continued.

Five cases of track buckles were reported, which is clearly less than in previous years. All track buckles caused by hot weather reported in 2024 occurred in rails with wooden sleeper structures. Efforts to prevent buckles caused by heat have been made by improving the monitoring and control of rail temperatures. To this end, instructions for contractors and rail temperature forecasts have been developed, among other things. In this context, it should be noted that a large annual variation has been identified in the reporting of track buckles caused by heat and other track geometry errors. There may be errors in the classification of cases, and it is not certain if all cases have been reported as safety occurrences. Therefore, caution should be exercised considering the annual numbers of geometry errors and changes in the numbers.