Cracked wheel caused Gotthard derailment, but ‘could not have been detected’
The culprit of the accident. A crack developed in the wheel to the point of a violent fracture Swiss Safety Investigation Board (SUST)
The Swiss Safety Investigation Board (SUST) confirmed initial suspicions that the derailment of a freight train in the Gotthard Base Tunnel on 10 August was caused by a faulty wheel. The SUST interim report mentioned that “there is no evidence of pre-existing operational defects that could have caused the derailment”. Moreover, they claim that current technologies could not have detected the crack in the wheel and, thus, prevented the accident.
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