More than 100 people were injured in a collision between two trams in Russia (5 photos + 8 videos)
Category: Terrible (all news), Cars
16 June 2024
The cause of the emergency was faulty brakes. 
More than a hundred people were injured this morning in a collision between two trams in Kemerovo. According to operational services, the emergency occurred due to a brake failure on one of the trams while descending from a steep section of the road.
The tram developed enormous speed, causing two passengers to fly out onto the roadway, and a few minutes later it caught up with a tram traveling along the same tracks and flew into it.
It is reported that as a result of the collision, the cabin of the faulty tram was severely flattened, the 23-year-old girl driver received multiple fractures, and doctors are now fighting for her life. One passenger is also known to have died. According to Assistant Minister of Health of Russia Alexei Kuznetsov, a total of 109 people were injured in the terrible accident, 40 of them with injuries of varying severity are in city medical institutions, the rest will be treated on an outpatient basis.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened a criminal case under an article on violation of traffic rules and operation of vehicles. In the near future, a series of forensic examinations will be carried out in order to determine all the circumstances and reasons for what happened. Meanwhile, the State Duma called for checking all urban transport across the country after the tragedy in Kuzbass.
“The tragedy with the tram in Kemerovo is the result of an acute problem with an outdated fleet of equipment. The wear and tear is significant. It is necessary to check urban and suburban transport throughout the country - we are, of course, talking about the old fleet. Everything is subject to analysis: the quality and timing of repairs and maintenance,” explained Member of the State Duma Committee on Transport and Development of Transport Infrastructure Alexander Tolmachev..
Earlier, the mayor of Kemerovo, Dmitry Anisimov, said that the city's trams are 80-90% worn out, and their age is about 40 years. The rails are in approximately the same condition. However, there is no money yet to update the fleet of equipment and related infrastructure.
“The source of funding is being determined, there are federal programs that we are applying for. Understanding the sources of funding will be closer to 2025, first we need to update the infrastructure,” said Anisimov.
“I just heard the girl driver. At first she was silent for a long time, apparently from shock. Then she screamed loudly when they started pulling her out. I feel very sorry for the girl. Very young. I hope everything will be fine,” said an eyewitness.
It turned out that the 23-year-old girl who was driving the tram had been working at the depot since last fall. She is now in the hospital undergoing surgery. According to her mother Natalya, her daughter repeatedly complained about the technical condition of the trains. She also said that trams in the city constantly break down. So, her daughter had to change her train three times the day before the accident, Izvestia reports.
“Yesterday my child changed three trams. Today I sat down in one - such a terrible accident [happened]. Just look at what’s happening: the trams are on fire, the brakes are breaking, everything is falling apart all around. And people go there too,” concluded Natalya.
“All tram cars undergo daily maintenance at night, and all drivers who come to work are required to accept their tram car. This is a process. Acceptance of a tram car is a written algorithm for the driver’s actions,” said the head of the press service of the Kemerovo Electric Transport Maxim Goncharenko company.
However, even the mayor of Kemerovo noted that the wear and tear of the tram reaches 90 percent. The rails are in approximately the same condition. However, there is no money yet to update the fleet of equipment and related infrastructure.
The main version is that the brakes failed. But the depot claims that this is excluded. They say the tram was in good order and the whole point was the human factor.
The investigation believes that the director and foreman of KETK allowed a faulty vehicle to go into operation, and video from the driver’s cab, as well as fragments of the tram found at the accident site, confirm this version.
The driver of the transport, who received fractures in both legs, claims that the tram had a faulty braking system. Judging by the video from her cabin, the girl tried to stop the tram until the last moment. At first, I used the brake, and when I realized that it didn’t work, I tried to turn off the pantograph by resting my feet on the dashboard. Apparently, she didn't have enough strength to do it.
As a result, the uncontrollable vehicle developed enormous speed. During an emergency braking attempt, the doors of the tram opened and several passengers flew onto the road.
And then the vehicle crashed into the tram in front.
One of the victims talks about how it happened:
The director and foreman of the Kemerovo electric transport company were detained. They are suspected of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (provision of services that do not meet the requirements for the safety of life or health of consumers, resulting in the death of a person through negligence). And if earlier there were two versions about the causes of the accident (human factor and transport malfunction), now even the official media name only one - failure of the brake system.
An interesting nuance: the director of KETK is Pavel Maltsev, ex-deputy head of the city of Kemerovo. In 2018, he resigned from his post after working for a little over a year, and then came under investigation for extortion: Maltsev demanded a bribe of $500 from the entrepreneur for resolving the issue of concluding a lease agreement for a bus owned by the city administration. In 2018, he was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of $2,000, and was also deprived of the right to hold administrative positions for two years, but then he came to direct a transport company.
Pavel Maltsev, director of KTEK
As for the foreman detained with him, he, as the media write, repeatedly argued with management, demanding repairs to equipment that was in a faulty condition. And the master’s wife believes that all the blame can be placed on him.
“I don’t want to name names because I’m afraid of causing harm. The Kemerovo electric transport company is friends with the administration. That’s why they turned a blind eye to many problems. My husband already has constant conflicts with his superiors due to problems with transport, and if I start a butt, he’ll simply They'll fire you or accuse you of something else,"
- the wife of one of the tram depot workers shared with the media.
The head of the Kemerovo region confirms that although the tram underwent maintenance on June 2, the wear and tear of the entire fleet is about 80-90%. Trams are already on average 40 years old, and there are plans to renovate this entire facility.
“The source of funding is being determined, there are federal programs that we are applying for. Understanding the sources of funding will be closer to 2025, first we need to update the infrastructure,”
— quotes Dmitry Anisimov.
It was reported that 117 people were injured in the accident, of which 21 were hospitalized, 96 were sent for outpatient treatment, and one person among those who fell from the tram died. Today the number of victims has increased to 130.
