The key facts

  • The bridge span over the Viled collapsed on November 10 at about 05:10 Moscow time; freight train cars derailed; according to preliminary data, there were no injuries
  • Ten passenger trains bound for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Adler, Novorossiysk, Vorkuta, Syktyvkar and Labytnangi have been delayed; passengers are being transported by buses around the closed section
  • The freight train's tank cars were empty — no oil product spill occurred; the North-Western Transport Prosecutor's Office has launched an inspection

Span collapse and derailment of freight cars

On the morning of November 10 at 05:10 Moscow time, a span of the railway bridge over the Viled River collapsed on the Cheryomukha — Viled section in Arkhangelsk Oblast, after which cars of a freight train derailed. This was reported by the press service of the Northern Railway. According to preliminary information, no one was injured; the cause of the incident is being investigated. Train traffic on the section has been suspended, and recovery trains have been dispatched to the site.

What is known about the consequences

First Deputy Chairman of the Government of Arkhangelsk Oblast Dmitry Rozhin said that the tank cars in the freight train were empty and no oil product spill occurred — this removes the risk of environmental damage from the accident. The region's governor, Alexander Tsybulsky, announced the creation of an emergency task force coordinating the response efforts. Following the incident, the North-Western Transport Prosecutor's Office launched an inspection: Deputy North-Western Transport Prosecutor Nikita Moshkovsky and Kotlas Transport Prosecutor Vadim Surin have traveled to the site.

Train delays and bus transfers

Due to the suspension of traffic on the section, passenger trains are being delayed. It was initially reported that eight trains were held at the Solvychegodsk and Kotlas-Yuzhny stations; later the Federal Passenger Company (a subsidiary of Russian Railways) clarified that there are now ten of them: No. 310 Adler — Vorkuta, No. 22 Moscow — Labytnangi, No. 98 St. Petersburg — Syktyvkar, No. 376 and No. 42 Moscow — Vorkuta, No. 311 Vorkuta — Novorossiysk, No. 41 Vorkuta — Moscow, No. 21 Labytnangi — Moscow, No. 375 Vorkuta — Moscow and No. 97 Syktyvkar — St. Petersburg. Between the Kotlas-Yuzhny and Viled stations, passengers are being transported by buses, after which they continue their journeys by rail; train crew members are assisting them. Those whose trains are delayed by more than four hours will be provided with meals.

What remains unknown

The cause of the span collapse had not been named at the time of publication — the prosecutor's inspection and the investigation into the circumstances are ongoing. It has also not been reported when traffic on the section will be restored; according to the Federal Passenger Company, the delays are specifically due to the suspension of traffic on the Cheryomukha — Viled section.