Eral-Simskaya Train Crash (2011)

The Eral-Simskaya train crash happened on 11 August 2011 on the Kropachyovo-Iglino section of the Kuibyshev Railway, in the Ashinsky District of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. Freight train No. 2707 lost its brakes on a steep downgrade and collided with freight train No. 1933 running ahead of it. Both members of the locomotive crew were killed in the crash, and traffic on the line was halted for more than 24 hours.

Causes of the Crash

The main cause of the disaster was a failure of train No. 2707's braking system. Driver Shumikhin could not get the brakes to work because of:

• the end cocks of the brake line being shut off
• the locking-device handle being in the wrong position

Instead of applying emergency braking at once, as the regulations require, the driver twice applied the second stage of braking, which only made the situation worse. By the time the emergency brake was finally applied, the train had accelerated to 136 km/h.

Sequence of Events

On the steep downgrade of the Eral-Simskaya section, train No. 2707 began to gain speed uncontrollably. The driver's attempts to brake had no effect because of the fault in the braking system.

Travelling at 136 km/h, train No. 2707 struck the rear of freight train No. 1933. The driver and his assistant tried to get out of the locomotive cab, but could not do so at such a high speed.

Casualties and Aftermath

As a result of the crash on the Eral-Simskaya section:

• 2 people were killed — both members of train No. 2707's locomotive crew
• train No. 1933 suffered significant damage
• traffic on the line was halted for more than 24 hours
• the accident caused substantial material damage

The 2011 crash on the Eral-Simskaya section became one of the most serious railway accidents on the Kuibyshev Railway of that period.