– This is a serious train accident with the most tragic outcome. Our thoughts go to the relatives who have lost a loved one and to the colleagues at SJ who are also affected, said the Minister of Transport.
Nygård emphasized that it will be very important to find the cause of the fatal accident.
– We cannot speculate any further about the course of events and landslide safety and everything that follows. Our job is to ensure that people are transported safely and securely across all possible modes of transport, including the railway. There will always be things to learn from such events.
On Thursday, a train on its way from Trondheim to Bodø derailed between Bjerka and Mo i Rana.
The police confirmed on the same day that the train driver died in the accident. Four people were taken to the hospital, but none of them were critically injured.
The train partially crashed out onto the road on Thursday afternoon.
Foto: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
The Minister of Transport, the CEO of SJ Norge, Rikke Lind, and the CEO of Bane Nor, Thor Gjermund Eriksen, attended a briefing on Friday.
– This is very sad and tragic with the worst possible outcome. Geologists are in the area. The highest priority is that it must be safe to work there, said Eriksen during his visit to the accident site.
– This is one of the areas known to be susceptible to landslides. There have been several landslides over the past 40 years.
– Challenging stretch
The CEO of SJ Norge, Rikke Lind, says this is a challenging stretch along the Nordland Line.
– It is a challenging stretch for drivers because there can be a risk. It was said that the stretch was safe when they drove into it. Now we are cooperating with the Accident Investigation Board and providing access to all logs, all information that can contribute to a thorough investigation and a conclusion as quickly as possible, says Lind.
This is not the first time that a landslide has occurred on the train route.
On October 3, 2016, two people were slightly injured when a train derailed after hitting a rockslide.
The landslide was caused by soil and rock masses that had loosened from the slope above the track and slid down.
VG was the first to report on the matter.
Overview map with the landslide site marked.
Foto: Norwegian Accident Investigation Board
At that time, the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board stated that the area had been inspected and secured by Bane Nor and that the next inspection was due in 2023.
The Commission concluded that a triggering factor for the landslide could have been heavy precipitation.
Closed until further notice
The train, which derailed onto E6, now means that both the road and the Nordland Line are closed until further notice.
– There must, among other things, be assessments to ensure that the train set does not slide down onto E6, says chief of staff at the police in Nordland, Bent Are Eilertsen.
Many parties will begin work in the area starting Friday, and it may take several days before both the road and the railway are open again.
Representatives from Bane Nor will go to the accident site to start planning the removal of the train. The Accident Investigation Board is on-site and will begin work today together with crime technicians from the Nordland police district.
The accident on the Nordland Line means that the road is closed until further notice.
Foto: Frank Nygård / NRK
– Norway divided in two
Hemnes municipality has several areas that are prone to rock and clay slides. In 2022, NVE conducted a hazard zone study for landslides in steep terrain.
– There are quite a few houses that would not have been allowed to be built today where they were originally built due to quick clay and possibilities for rockslides.
Foto: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg / NRK
That is what the mayor of Hemnes, Paul Asphaug (Sp), says. Asphaug reports that an emergency response team was set up in Korgen on Thursday. The mayor had a long journey home when he ended up on the wrong side of the road.
– Norway is divided in two now. E6 goes over Hemanvan in Sweden, and then we have the Coastal Road, but there are few ferry connections there. I had a 270 km trip through Sweden last night instead of 15 kilometers.
New assessment on Friday afternoon
According to section leader at the Road Traffic Central, Siril Veiåker Nilsen, there are several factors that need to be considered and assessed before anything can be opened.
– A new assessment is expected on Friday afternoon.
A passenger train has derailed between Finneidfjord and Bjerka on the Nordland Line.
Photo: Thomas Sætveit Jensen/TV Clip
A passenger train has derailed between Finneidfjord and Bjerka on the Nordland Line.
Photo: Thomas Sætveit Jensen/TV Clip
A passenger train has derailed between Finneidfjord and Bjerka on the Nordland Line.
Photo: Thomas Sætveit Jensen/TV Clip
A passenger train has derailed between Finneidfjord and Bjerka on the Nordland Line.
Photo: Thomas Sætveit Jensen/TV Clip
While the road is closed, there are two alternatives for traffic:
- The ferry Nesna – Levang on County Road 17. There is likely to be heavy traffic here and Nilsen urges those who can wait to postpone their trips.
- E12 and National Road 73 via Umbukta, Sweden, and Hattfjelldal.
Harry Korslund at Bane Nor states that it is uncertain how long the Nordland Line will remain closed and that they are still working to get an overview of the total extent of the damage.
– We need to remove the train in order to assess the damages.
They will also contribute to the work of figuring out what might have happened with the train.
– As it looks at the moment, a landslide has occurred that has fallen onto the tracks. The connection between the landslide and the derailment seems to be obvious.
Will find out what happened
Another important player in the aftermath of an accident like this is the Accident Investigation Board.
Department Director Ida Grøndahl says their team will work to get a proper overview of the accident site before they conduct thorough investigations.
– As we have been told, it is both slippery and rugged. We must ensure that the locomotive is stable before we can start our investigations.
The police also indicate that assessments must be made to ensure that the train set does not slide down onto E6. There is also a lot of diesel spill in the area and booms have been laid out in the fjord.
Once everything is secure, the Accident Investigation Board will check the locomotive and carriages both externally and internally.
– Our goal is to piece together a sequence of events. That is always the goal.
Large rocks are in the track bed.
Foto: Ingvart Strand Mølster
She emphasizes that they must complete their work before things can be removed, but that it is standard practice to clear parts as they finish.
Police also indicate that there is no suspicion of any criminal activity, but the police will begin a regular investigation into the accident.
Korslund at Bane Nor states that they already have teams and machinery on the way to remove the train set.
This will also be challenging and take time.
– It must be done in a safe and secure manner. It remains to be seen how long it will take before the Nordland Line can open again, but we should probably expect two to three days.
Published
25.10.2024, at 05.24
Updated
25.10.2024, at 15.05