Publication
HazMat transportation safety assessment: Analysis of a “Viareggio-like” incident in the Netherlands
Relevant safety issues are associated with hazardous materials transportation, especially when transport routes cross populated areas. This article for the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process of Industries analyses a 2015 accident with a freight train in Tilburg, comparing it to the Viareggio rail accident of 2009. The authors look at lessons learned after the incident, policy making considerations, and indications for the risk mitigation of hazardous materials transportation.
- Author
- Federica Ovidi, Vincent van der Vlies, Sanneke Kuipers, Gabriele Landucci
- Date
- 14 November 2019
- Links
- Directly to article in the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process of Industries
Abstract
On March 6th, 2015, a passenger train collided with the last rail car of a freight train in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The last car contained 50 t of liquefied 1,3-butadiene. As a result of the collision, the last car showed deformation; a small leakage occurred but fortunately with no relevant consequences. However, extremely severe consequences could have happened, such as in the rail accident that occurred in Viareggio, Italy in 2009. In this work, the case of Tilburg was firstly outlined and explored by qualitative methods, in order to identify possible realistic final scenarios that could have happened. Second, the potential consequences of the identified scenarios were estimated through conventional integral model for physical effects evaluation. Comparison with the Viareggio case was also shown in order to support the discussion of the results obtained. Finally, lessons learned after the incident, policy making considerations, and indications for the risk mitigation of hazardous materials transportation are given.