The cause of the railway accident in the Moscow region was the so-called "ejection of the track." This was told to the Interfax agency by a source in Russian Railways. Track ejection is when the rails are deformed and the sleepers split due to a temperature difference.

The accident occurred at half past one in the Naro-Fominsk region. A freight train collided with a passenger train that had just left for Chisinau from Moscow. As a result of the disaster, 6 people died, another 30 were injured of varying severity. Mostly they are citizens of Moldova.

Vladimir Putin, who is now in China, promised to help all the victims and their families. The news of the disaster came during a meeting between Putin and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Now the movement of trains in the area of ​​the accident is partially restored. By railway track trains are already running. But representatives of the investigative committee continue to work at the crash site.

Since the beginning of this year, more than a dozen railway accidents have already occurred in Russia. The geography is the most diverse: Moscow region, Tatarstan, Chelyabinsk region, Khabarovsk Territory. And the main participant in all these accidents is the same - the freight train. From the beginning of 2014 until today, before the railway accident along Naro-Fominskoye, these incidents did not claim human lives.

On February 5, 19 wagons of a freight train derailed near Kirov - 8 with coal and 11 with gas condensate. The fire could not be extinguished for several days. Residents of nearby houses were evacuated, dozens of “spectacular” videos from the scene got onto the Internet. Commission of the Gorky railway came to the conclusion that the electric locomotive and the railway track were in good order, and the cause of the accident was called a violation of the geometry of the wheelset.

Less than a week later, on February 12, the collapse of a freight train is already happening near Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk region. 30 wagons with coal left the tracks. About a kilometer of rails were seriously damaged. The preliminary cause of the accident is the poor condition of the tracks. On the same day, in the Amur Region, the wagons of one freight train hit another on the move. The cars went off the rails, apparently due to a break in the side frame - part of the bogie on which the car is installed.

Another accident in February in Primorye, four in March (Jewish Autonomous Region, Khabarovsk Territory, Bashkortostan, Trans-Baikal Territory).

April 25 in the Mendeleevsky district of Tatarstan, a train with empty tanks collides with a car. 20 wagons derailed, some of them even turned over. Each of these incidents led to the delay of almost dozens of trains, which were sent on a detour, or their passengers simply had to wait a very long time.

The cause of the current disaster in Naro-Fominsk, according to the press, could be a broken rail or a broken axle of a freight train or a bogie side frame. That is, the operator of the transportation of railway goods, which owned the train, can be called guilty as a result.

Olga Lukyanova, chairman of the Non-Commercial Partnership of Railway Rolling Stock Operators, agrees that in recent years, accidents with freight trains have become more frequent than before. She explained to "Rain" why this is happening.

Olga Lukyanova, Chairman of the Non-Commercial Partnership of Railway Rolling Stock Operators: When this is a remote section, Russian Railways specialists quickly left and can write it off as a broken side frame, but in fact - the poor condition of the track. Commission of the representatives of the Russian Railways. This is what we observed. We communicate with ordinary employees of Russian Railways. And it's often overlooked true reason traffic accidents. Now there is again an attempt to transfer the cause to a break in the side frame. Russian Railways originally existed as an infrastructure company. Now they have begun to rebuild and work in a different area. They began to deal with logistics, transportation. We believe that it is necessary first to put things in order with the infrastructure, and then deal with other areas of work.

Photo: RIA Novosti / Valery Melnikov

Modern trains are far superior to their great-grandfathers: they are longer, more load-bearing and faster. However, they also have steel wheels with a characteristic rim and run on cast iron rails molded in the form of a Roman unit. The train wheels on the inside have an inch lug, which allows the train to be held on straight and rounded parts of the rails. The rails and wheels are so precisely fitted one to one that they have a very low coefficient of friction - if a loaded forty-ton train is allowed to roll by inertia at a speed of 100 km / h, it will overcome about 10 km to a complete stop. Given that a truck of the same weight will stop after one mile.

Elasticity of the rail support

On a gravel base there are sleepers made of wood or concrete, on which rails are fixed with long bolts passed through spring brackets. This resilient mount provides a softer ride.

Rail joint

At the junction of 12-meter rails there is a small gap that allows them to expand in the warm season. Special rail pad connects neighboring plots rails. However, it is worth noting that on modern railway lines, the rails are welded into a single canvas.

thrust

The train with all its weight presses on the canvas. Due to the force of friction between the wheels and the railway track, the train can move on flat ground and slopes.

Ways to overtake

To move the composition from one track to the next, it is necessary to force its wheels to make this transition. To accomplish this task, special railway arrows are used. The guide rails force the train to cross the cross (place, there are ruts).

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Cornering

When the train overcomes the turn, centrifugal force acts on it, which tends to push the train out of the way. To counter this, the outer rail is anchored higher than the inner rail, which is called "bank slope". It helps trains navigate curves without slowing down.

Sag

On bends, the paths between the rails create a greater distance than on the straight parts of the track. This reduces the friction acting on the wheels and reduces rail wear.

trolleys

The wheels of the train are attached to bogies - independent platforms with suspension. Each cart has two pairs of wheels. At the same time, the trolleys themselves have the ability to rotate, thanks to a device called a “thrust bearing”. This system makes the train move smoothly as it travels around curves. All this allows you to make the movement of the composition softer.

Now the trains have a much greater length, and speed, and weight compared to the first trains that ran 160 years ago. But they still have the same steel wheels with a ledge on the edge of the rim and roll on iron rails of the same shape in the form of the Latin letter I. Each train wheel has a ledge measuring 1 inch on the inside of the rim.

It is these protrusions that guide the wheels along the rails, whether it is a straight section or a rounding of the path. A railroad wheel and rail fit together so well, that is, they have such a small coefficient of friction, that if a 40-ton car is allowed to roll freely on a horizontal track at 60 miles per hour, it will travel another 5 miles before stopping. While a truck weighing 40 tons with the engine off and the same initial speed will be able to drive to a stop about 1 mile.

Elastic support for rail

The rail rests on wooden or concrete sleepers laid in a gravel base. As a rule, long bolts passing through the spring clips hold the rail in place. This elastic mounting system contributes to a softer ride.

rail joint

When the rails are butted together, there is a small gap between each 39-foot section. It is he who allows the metal rails to expand without interference when heated. A bolted rail cap holds adjacent rail sections together. Although at present, on the main railway lines, all segments on each side of the track are welded into one rail.

Traction force

The train with all its weight (through the wheels) presses on the rails. The rolling wheel due to friction engages with the rail and from this, at the place of their contact, a traction force arises, which moves the train forward both on flat areas and on slopes. The weight plus the friction between the rail and the rolling wheel act to pull the train forward.

c - coefficient of friction

F - friction force

bypasses

In order for a moving train to change from one track to another, its wheels must make such a transition. And in this they are helped by railroad switches. The guide rails allow the wheels to cross the "cross" where the two tracks meet. If the train hits the arrow, moving along the picture from the bottom up, then after the arrow it will continue to move along the straight track drawn on the right.

Movement on the bends of the paths

When a train moves along a bend in the track, the so-called centrifugal force acts on it, which tends to push the train out of its track. To counteract this lateral force, the outer rail is mounted higher than the inner rail. Such an excess of one rail over another is called the slope of the turn. It allows trains to overcome rounded sections of the track without slowing down.

Sag

The distance between the rails on the bends of the track is made larger than on straight sections. This reduces the friction force that acts on the wheels when the centrifugal force pulls the car sideways, and at the same time reduces wear on the rails.

Trolleys on wheels

The wheels of the wagons are attached to bogies, that is, movable platforms, on which the suspension system is also located. Two pairs of wheels are attached to each trolley. And the bogies themselves, on which the car is placed, can turn under it to the right - to the left with the help of a special device - a thrust bearing. This is what makes the movement of the car smooth when the train passes rounded sections of the track. An independent suspension system helps ensure a smooth ride.

Trains are not immune from disasters, and tragedies happen even in the most seemingly safe places. Even in Japan, in a country where technology, including transport, is at its most highest level, all kinds of transport disasters happen. So, for example, on May 3, 1962, three trains collided in Tokyo at once, as a result of which 163 people died.

If a person seeks to protect himself during a railway journey, he first of all needs to remain calm. No wonder folk wisdom says that what a person fears most of all, as a rule, happens to him. Therefore, the passenger needs to throw any thought out of his head regarding the possible occurrence of any tragedy. From the fact that a person will constantly think about troubles and scare himself with an accident, nothing will change, and the journey will be overshadowed by groundless fears and doubts. Well, if the train goes off the rails, then it is important to act according to the situation.

If the accident occurs near some city or town, then, most likely, help will come pretty quickly, but even in this case, the surviving passengers who have not received serious injuries should, of course, make their own contribution to saving others. people who are less fortunate in this disaster. Very often, as a result of railway accidents, a fire occurs, which is also desirable to extinguish as soon as possible.

Even in a difficult situation, passengers must remain calm and not panic. Random actions to the point of hysteria will only prevent the rescuers from doing their job. If a person feels that he is seized by a fear that he cannot cope with, he needs to immediately switch to the problems of other passengers. If he looks around, he will surely see people who are in a more miserable state than himself. Of course, at this moment, many will need help, because even if the doctors arrive at the scene, they will not be able to serve everyone at once. First of all, doctors will start rescuing the seriously injured, and the rest can be helped by passengers who survived the disaster.

If tragedy happens far from settlements, then the role of rescuers will have to be taken over by the surviving not injured or slightly injured passengers. In this case, it will be necessary for someone to take on the role of leader, which usually happens spontaneously, and manage the entire operation to rescue passengers. Of course, all participants in the tragedy must maintain self-control and, if unable to help, then at least not prevent others from doing so. Do not rush to pull out your things, rushing after them into the fire. Indeed, in this case, a person who survived during the catastrophe itself can easily die because of some things. Everything can be repurchased except human life, so you should not risk it for the sake of some things or papers, even important ones.

First of all, children and the seriously wounded should be evacuated from the scene of the tragedy, then the elderly and women. When boarding buses that will take everyone away from the scene of the tragedy, passengers must also remain calm. After all, everything has already happened, and from the fact that how many minutes earlier someone gets into the city, hardly anything will change. Usually, major accidents on the roads are immediately reported by the media, so if several hours have already passed since the beginning of the tragedy, then when you get to the city, be sure to call your relatives and reassure them that you are all right. This is very important, because, as a rule, people worry about their loved ones, it is at such moments that older people experience heart attacks and strokes, so the sooner they are warned that the danger has passed, the better.