SNCF released an initial report on the fatal derailment near Strasbourg on November 14 of a TGV during commissioning trials for Phase 2 of LGV Est-Européene. There were 37 people injured and 11 fatalities.
The initial conclusions in the report include:
- No abnormalities in the condition and operation of the infrastructure
- No issue in the maintenance of the train
- No significant issue in traffic management
However, investigators from the SNCF Security Audits Branch state the train was at a speed of 243 km/h at the point of derailment, significantly higher than that prescribed for the test. This too high of a speed results from a late braking sequence. The excessive speed resulted in a shedding of the axles located on the interior of the curve by a centrifugal force effect. The load shedding was significant enough to cause the derailment.
The Security Audits Branch has called for further investigations detailing the processes and procedures, including why there were children on the train and why there were seven people in the cab at the time of the accident.
A video of the press conference (in French) is available at http://www.sncf.com/fr/presse/communiques-ressources
A PDF of the report (in French) is also available on the SNCF website at http://www.sncf.com/ressources/rapport_denquete_deraillement_rame_dessai_814521_sur_le_raccordement_de_la_lgv_ee_le_14_novembre_2015.pdf
