LUINO The wagons are at home on the Bellinzona - Luino - Gallarate. Emerge from the tunnel and the Gotthard pass through the station Bellinzona. Then the dangerous goods are divided. Six hundred thousand tons every year start off on the ramp of the Ashes, on the bridge to bypass the Ceresio Melide and stop at Chiasso. The remaining 1.9 million tonnes, instead, go straight away. Along this single track, passing through the Gambarogno reaches the border of Ranzo. From there pass through Pine, Colmegna, up to and then off to Luino Laveno Mombello and Gallarate. To direct transhipment hubs where goods are loaded on trucks. From north to south. And vice versa. Several times per day. For three hundred sixty-five days a year. At least five loads every twenty-four hours to 1.9 million tonnes of potentially at risk each year. All of passage in the heart of Luino, Laveno Mombello and Castelveccana. This is a map of the risk on the banks of the Verbano. Convoys are very similar, at least in appearance, to what the other has caused the tragic accident in Viareggio. "But much more secure" stand by SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways which have jurisdiction on the way up to Luino. Where in addition to LPG tanks, sulfuric acid, propylene, liquid sulfur and then the tanks of benzene, toluene, ammonia, chlorine, those of ammunition, there are all the other convoys "normal." Snakes that reach up to one mile and, at an average rate of 75 per day, crowding a line that has remained essentially the same since 1882 and carries on his shoulders the weight of its 127 years of history. To improve the countermeasures are. "On most of the convoys - ensure SBB - derailment detectors are installed and their structure is reinforced to prevent losses in case of accidents." The question, then, are positioned detectors able to stop those trains whose carriages have overheated axles. The reference for the Bellinzona - Ticino Luino is always Cadenazzo. Ensure that no train with the brakes or hot-axis can pass over. In any case, along the Bellinzona - Luino have passed, until the past few hours, the carriages in Austria and Germany GATX, now blocked by order of RFI, which share the market with the Swiss Vascos, German and French Vtg Ermewa. And there remains open the question of the emergency phase. With the risk that comes among countries, a few meters from the houses, on a path designed 127 years ago, and in tunnels dug by hand and without exits for traits that could in some cases even close to selling four kilometers. "There are tunnels that are almost impossible to reach rescue vehicles - Heracles Ielmini explains, Mayor of Laveno - such as exit between the tunnel and Laveno Castelveccana. Only after three meetings, before the Prefect, the Railways are the first documents arrived. " And the homes that line the tracks, built mostly when traffic was much lower, and now living together is becoming quite difficult. "We do not want to be unprepared for the emergency - show the mayors of Laveno Castelveccana and Luino - or even passively any high-risk situations."
MAP OF RISK
"The only tr wine is one hundred percent sure that does not travel." Words that come directly Swiss Federal Office of Transport, and that alone make the goddess of reality. Because after the catastrophe of Viareggio also along the tracks of Bellinzona - Luino there are questions on the safety of convoys and the potential risks for the population. And there are fears. Trafficking, run by the Swiss Federal Railways and Rfi, with with SBB Cargo and SBB Cargo as the main carriers, freight transport has his true vocation. With remarkable that speak volumes of 75 freight trains per day from 1600 tons c t research to generate controversy over the noise of trains, their speed of transit countries and the vibrations that cause damage to homes bordering on the line. One is that through the settlements, with trains arriving at even a mile in length and travel corridor, a single track in the stretch that skirts the Lake Maggiore, close to the houses through the center of towns and cities. Circumstance has forced the very beginning of the year, Italian mayors to call for an urgent confrontation with the operators of trans port to bring their goods to the topical issue of safety. Moreover, even in recent years, there have been incidents that have seen the players train in transit. Already November 23, 2006, in fact, Luino had lived for the emergency release of flammable liquid - acetate ethylene - the tank of a freight train stopped on the tracks. On 30 October 2007, however, the danger was over to Bellinzona, where another tank on a convoy to Luino to Gallarate and then lost stabilized ethylene, a substance used to produce plastics. Very high risk, fortunately averted, even at 31 October 2008 Laveno Mombello: a fire developed on a freight train carrying toxic chemicals. Train set length of 500 meters, there was a problem with the locomotive. The train was a commitment from the tunnel between Laveno Mombello Castelveccana and at 5.30 am, when staff noticed smoke in the cabin. At that point the two train drivers were arrested on then run along about 600 meters inside the tunnel. And in case of explosion relief would be extremely difficult. The last in order of time took place in San Nazzaro, in Canton Ticino, November 5 last year. When a landslide caused the derailment of a train consisting of two traction units and 23 goods wagons. Dangers content from emergency services, in all cases, but close enough to trigger controversy on substances that are transported in tanks in transit on this line, in some areas, a few meters from homes. All in a complex network of diversified managers: those trafficking, rolling stock, locomotives and freight trains. IS LIKELY FIVE TIMES A DAY
Five trains with dangerous goods per day. This is because it is clear from the empirical data on railways is Bellinzona - Luino. One statistic that refers to 2008. The figures show the last season, in fact, that dangerous goods transported by train, representing 7% of all those who travel by rail: three million train-km (unit of measure that multiplies the number of trains for the distance traveled by each train) from a total of 50 million. That is to say, of the 700 freight trains every day in Italy, 35 carrying hazardous substances. Of these the most numerous are those with a cargo of LPG: 10-12 in the winter season, 6-7 in the summer. Italy go through from west to east and from north to south using, and then as director also Bellinzona - Luino. Broadly in line, in fact, even on this guideline, the percentage of loads "at risk". That translated to 75 trains daily average equates to 5 loads per day could be hazardous. Among them, the more substance transported rail is just the GPL. Among the most dangerous is then sulfuric acid, and to follow the propylene, liquid sulfur and then there are the tanks of benzene, toluene, ammonia, chlorine. It is for the client company establish a sort of identity card of the transported material. A document delivered to the company making the transport carriages. Cars registered in the country of origin and there subjected to periodic reviews. In turn, these companies give the documents to load and reliability of the materials to the railway companies of the countries that have to cross and in the case of Bellinzona Luino is mainly the SBB Cargo. What emerges, supported also by Swiss Federal Office of Transport communications is that it "must ensure that the cars are safe are the private transport companies, after market liberalization have increased visibly." Inspections also occur later in marshalling yards at the border. If a car has problems that can not be resolved immediately, the train is released and not in the race. In these tests, then you add the sample made by the Federal Office of Transport also concern that the convoys traveling over the international line Bellinzona - Luino. According to a report in 2008, last year in Switzerland, have been checked cars 3'838, 261 of whom had defects of which 52 related to the transport of dangerous goods.
SAFETY AND QUALITY
"Unfortunately, the tragedy has shaken our conscience Viareggio. But it is important first to clarify everything for the transport of dangerous goods by rail is far safer. " So Marco Terranova, director of SBB Cargo Italy, enterprise adoption of direct rail cargo sector of the Swiss Railway and by far the most frequent visitor of Bellinzona - Luino. Since the liberalization of transport there is the question of responsibility and skills. Not always easy to clarify.
"It is not because the contractual situation between the different actors are more mixed. The fixed point is that access to the railway company that competes registering drive and makes it responsible. Then there are carts that can be owned by the company, or leased by the intermodal operators. Finally, the content delivered is not the responsibility of the railway but defined by the loading documents and materials reliability. Then in the event of an accident no one ever wants to assume sole responsibility, however, that there is hardly ever: there are usually several contributing factors in play. "
We go into detail of SBB Cargo.
"We conduct our service with locomotives or those rented from parent SBB Cargo. This is the latest material, tested in our workshops in Switzerland, of the highest quality. Even our cars are for the most part. Others are of intermodal operators are hired and when necessary. "
E 'can then be passed to Luino that even the German-Austrian special wagons GATX?
"Let's say I have no certainty but it is certainly possible. First, because operators are few, especially in specialized areas such as tanks. And then also on the Bellinzona - Luino we are not the only company active. There are others. "
As for security measures?
"There are two types: those that monitor installed upon the temperature level of the bushes: they are the portals that occur when high temperatures indicate a malfunction. Others are on the carts and devices are the derailment. Then the constant maintenance that we practice is another important factor. "
weighs the morphology of trafficking. Narrow, with long stretches in the gallery.
"Unfortunately this is the territory. We can not pave the mountains and can not enter into the lake. This does not mean that safety standards are very high. Also because having a Swiss system behind a guarantee of quality care established. "
STOP THE TANK GATX
have circulated for years. Going back and forth the Bellinzona - Luino - Gallarate. But now the GATX tank cars involved in the train crash in Viareggio, stop driving on the route. The willingness of the main railway company operating the line has in fact been clear. "SBB Cargo Italy - confirms CEO Marco Terranova - decided to discontinue the use of tank wagons of GATX until further notice." An announcement, the railway company to transport goods and the Italian subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways, arrived in the past. "The measure, on a purely precautionary - clarifies Newfoundland - was taken after the accident last June 29 in Viareggio, and will be maintained until they are provided by the ongoing investigation and clarification by the same company GATX the events that led to the tragedy of the Tuscan city train. " The safety of convoys and the locations traversed by Bellinzona - Luino therefore comes first. A mission endorsed by SBB Cargo, a subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways (FFS) that deals with rail freight. The company, which operates in Switzerland, and links the economic areas in Germany and northern Italy, serving an average of 4000 customers who carry their goods, metals, foodstuffs, mineral oils, chemicals, explosives, wood, paper, mail, packages and food. A system that employs 4400 employees, and that made possible the development of transport services in 2007 for a total of 13.37 billion kilometers net and now has no more use of the tank cars GATX whose car was the star of 'explosion of Viareggio. After the stop of Sbb Fs also puts it this way to call the company, the second group in Europe in the hire of wagons. The GATX Rail Europe deals, in fact, 22% of market. In short, a market leader with over a thousand customers worldwide. The preventive measure was made necessary by the company to ensure safety within the entire supply chain, both to protect the assets of its business, was to reassure those who live near or next to the railway infrastructure network. "Security has always been an essential element for SBB Cargo in the course of daily work. This preventive measure - further highlights Marco Terranova - is thus consistent with a major process of care and attention to detail that our company has always dedicated to the carriage of dangerous goods. " Goods that are on the route home: with a well carried 1.9 million tons of freight a year by the carriers.
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