Deadly railway accidents raises questions about security

Trafikåret 2018 was in many ways a dismal year. The preliminary figures show at 435 deaths, of which 88 in the rail. Of them, the 20 people who died in connection with the so-called " accidents involving level crossings where a train hit a car that would cross the railroad. The year before, the figure was 13 dead.

both the accidents in January of this year occurred with the Kustpilen, which goes through Småland and Östergötland. On both occasions collided train with a passenger car at the unguarded railroad crossing. It resulted in two men in their 30s were killed.

Read more: Gloomy trafikår 2018 – more killed on the roads than in nine years

the Sharp criticism came from, among other things, Kalmar county, which meant that the Dmv has way too many unguarded railway crossings, and that has not been worked with to close them in the way they should.

image and explain why it takes so long to build away the dangerous level crossings.

" I understand that you will be provoked to stand outside and see these fatal accidents, but that something is happening. But we are working actively and has in recent years managed to fix the 300 hazardous level crossings. The problem is that it takes time, " says Maria Krafft.

Maria Krafft has the overall responsibility for road safety and works with long-term strategies for the transport agency to achieve its goals. For example, to reduce the number of dead and injured in traffic accidents.

" Last year, we saw that the number of deaths both on the roads and in the bantrafiken increased. But over time, we see a positive development in the bantrafiken where the number of deaths decreases. And it is no coincidence, we have worked with fencing, sound - and light signals, barriers and the like to prevent accidents.

Read more: Several dead in train accident on the Great belt bridge

over the number of deaths in traffic since 2010, it is clear that a majority is about suicide. In bantrafiken, that is to say, the rail, tram and metro, was killed last year 96 people, of which approximately 80 per cent of them were suicides. 2010 died 124 people in bantrafiken.

– When it comes to the unattended level crossings are dying every year, between six and seven persons who are not suicidal. About half of the accidents occur in urban areas where there are people who are branches or crawling under the bars.

A 17-year-old boy was killed last year when he was hit by a train at a railroad crossing in the county of Bohuslän. Photo: the Swedish transport administration

the railway crossings, about 3,500 are unprotected but, for example, a barrier to prevent passengers from getting out on the track.

" We have a plan and resolve them gradually, but it is not possible to fix all at the same time. It has partly to do with technology that is old and not digitized. But also that it costs five or six figures per building, and that we must reach agreement with the landowner. We need to bring action against each other.

Time is also an aspect that makes it difficult to quickly resolve the dangerous transitions. Will the involved parties agree, the process can take more than four years. Opposed to the municipality, land - or property owner, it can take even longer, upwards of ten years.

" Then it is reasonable to consider whether it should be so in the infinite. We would of course be able to speed up the process but with the tools we have today, it does not work. We continue in this pace, we'll keep on in 25 years to fix all the 3.500 transitions that are unprotected.

it is also about building the possibility for the suicidal to take their own lives. Where says Maria Krafft, already has taken several steps in terms of building fences around the tracks and the surface, which will make it more difficult to stay on the tracks.

– the Issue is urgent, we must complicate the possibility. At the same time, can the Dmv do not themselves resolve the question of suicide, but it needs the whole society to make joint. This is also a arbetsmiljöfråga, not least for drivers.

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