Train accident in Norway raises questions over avalanche risk assessment on Nordland Line

The site of a recent train accident in Norway was not assessed during a 2022 survey on avalanche risks on the Nordland Line, according to Bane Nor. They have confirmed that avalanche warning equipment was absent at the accident location and determined that previous safety measures were sufficient. The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) also acknowledged that they did not evaluate the specific site during their avalanche risk mapping.

The tragic accident occurred when a train derailed near Finneidfjord in Hemnes municipality, resulting in the death of 60-year-old conductor Rolf Henry Ankersen. The collision happened between Mosjøen and Mo i Rana while the train, carrying 46 passengers and three crew members en route to Bodø, went off track. Four passengers sustained injuries and were hospitalized, but none suffered life-threatening conditions.

There were existing safety measures, including avalanche detection systems, installed along sections of the Nordland Line, but none were operational at the accident site. Bane Nor noted that adequate safety measures were previously implemented after another incident in 2016, where a train struck a rock in the same area.

NGI confirmed that their assessment, requested by Bane Nor, did not include areas where previous safety measures had already been established. Bane Nor has opted not to comment further on why the accident site was overlooked during NGI’s risk assessment, stating that investigations into the accident are ongoing.

Additional avalanche warning systems exist nearby, providing alerts to train operators under specific conditions.