RegioJet decommissions sleeper cars following fatal Czech train crash

[bill937ca]

Old OBB sleeper cars have been pulled out of service by RejioJet.

 

A structural flaw identical to one found in a 2018 crash was discovered in a RegioJet car involved in Wednesday's train crash in Pardubice.

 

https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/regiojet-recalls-sleeper-cars-following-fatal-czech-train-crash

 

In the wake of Wednesday's tragic collision in Pardubice, RegioJet has decided to decommission all 13 of its ÖBB sleeper cars from service. The company issued a press release on Saturday citing structural concerns with this type of car made evident by the crash, coupled with revelations from a prior incident in Austria

 

Another article:

 

RegioJet is withdrawing all sleeping cars of the Austrian type from service, the reason being the discovery of structural deficiencies

 

https://dopravacek.eu/

 

https://dopravacek.eu/2024/06/07/regiojet-stahuje-z-provozu-vsechny-spaci-vozy-rakouskeho-typu-pricinou-je-zjisteni-konstrukcnich-nedostatku/

 

Translated text.

RegioJet has announced the withdrawal of all Austrian-type sleeping cars from service. Trains that have been operated with these sleeping cars until now will gradually be equipped with alternative cars.

 

This is how RegioJet reacts to Wednesday's tragic accident of train RJ 1021 on the route Prague-Košice-Čop and previous similar accidents in Austria. The reason for the withdrawal of cars from service is the discovery of design flaws.

 

"Today we found out that an ÖBB sleeper car of the same type from the same manufacturer was damaged in an identical way in a banal accident in 2018 in Salzburg, i.e. by breaking the frame of the car between the first and second compartment. Fracture of the frame was the cause of the car breaking down completely in the accident in Pardubice and is also the cause of the loss of life,"  says RegioJet's spokesperson Alexandra Janoušek Kostřicová.

 

The accident in Salzburg, which left 54 injured, happened during a mere shift. In Pardubice, a freight train collided at a higher speed, but its weight was at least twenty times greater. Deformation is proportional to mass and velocity. The collision in Pardubice was therefore about 30 times stronger than in the accident in Salzburg, which is why the devastation was much greater. This discovery led Regiojet to the decision to permanently remove all 13 cars from service, even though they are identical cars operated by other companies.

 

"This repeated experience led us to the decision to carry out a thorough investigation and, based on the precautionary principle, to subsequently take these cars out of service due to the suspicion of a serious structural deficiency," says Radim Jančura, owner of RegioJet, adding: "The safety of our passengers and employees is top priority for us. RegioJet is committed to the continuous improvement of safety standards and will continue to invest in the modernization of its fleet to ensure the highest level of service. "