Trans-Siberian accident

Overturned tanks interrupted traffic from Vladivostok to the west

Railway Worker's Day, celebrated on the first Sunday in August, did not go well this year. Instead of quietly celebrating their professional holiday, the management of Russian Railways, the Far Eastern Railway and hundreds of repair workers were forced to urgently save the situation on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Early yesterday morning, near the city of Dalnerechensk (Primorsky Territory), a serious accident occurred: at 4:47 a.m. local time, when it was still late Saturday evening in Moscow, 32 empty oil tanks derailed. Fortunately, there were no casualties or injuries, but 50 meters of the track, several switches and an electrical support were destroyed at the scene of the accident.

Traffic along this section of the Trans-Siberian Railway stopped, freight trains and passenger trains were detained, including one of the main trains of our country - No. 1 Vladivostok - Moscow. Several hundred people traveling to the regional center from the capital and Sovetskaya Gavan were transported to Vladivostok by bus. And four repair and restoration trains were brought to the scene of the accident.

By the middle of the day (13.25 Primorye time and 6.25 Moscow time), the railway workers managed to restore one of the tracks - the even one, along which trains travel to the west. Detained trains began to run along it in both directions one by one. It was possible to repair the odd track and fully resume traffic after another seven and a half hours, but the railway authorities promised to complete all repair work only by today. However, the reason for the derailment of the tanks remains unknown: the commission investigating the accident will publish its findings later.

Mikhail MANSKOY