Collision of shunting locomotive No 98520055057-4 with three passenger coaches in the last coach of FT No 1621 on the first track in Sofia station on 28 May 2024
On 28.05.2024 in the Technical Station Nadezhda was prepared shunting staff with three coaches for FT No 3625 headed by shunting locomotive No 98520055057-4 (II shunting) for Sofia station. The shunter and the shunting switchman are boarded in the last wagon, and the second shunting switchman together with two cleaning ladies at the Nadezhda Technical Station were boarded in the first coach. The two women used the shunting crew for transport to Sofia station.
At 16:20 p.m., the traffic manager on duty at the Nadezhda Technical Station, requested the ‘agreement’ of the traffic manager on duty at Sofia Station to send the shunting rolling stock ready to depart at 16:25 p.m. The station dispatcher at Sofia station ordered orally the traffic manager on duty at Sofia station to accept the shunting composition on the first track, which must have been established in the western part of the track until the departure of FT No 1621 from the first track. In that time interval, around 16:20 p.m., all tracks in operation at Sofia station were occupied by arriving and departing trains. According to the approved Plan II-24 for the reception and dispatch of trains at Sofia Station FT No 1621 and FT No 3625 should have departed from the first track at 16:20 p.m. and 16:40 p.m. respectively.
The shunting composition of the second shunting headed by locomotive No 98520055057-4 moved along the route, as after the entry on the first track did not stop in the western part of the track and at 16:30 p.m. on km 0+088 followed a collision with the last coach of the composition of FT No 1621, pushing the entire composition forward by 15 meters.
As a result of the collision of locomotive No 98520055057-4 at the second shunting in the composition of FT No 1621, passengers in FT No 1621 and staff servicing the train and the second shunting were injured.