DRAMMEN/BRAKERØYA (Drammens Tidende): On Wednesday morning, a train from Drammen towards Dal was stopped on the railway bridge between Drammen and Brakerøya.
The train has been standing there since just after 08:00, and there are around 200 passengers on board, informs press officer in Vy, Åge-Christoffer Lundeby to Drammens Tidende.
– There is an air leak on the train which causes the brakes to apply. On trains, if the air disappears, the brakes go on instead of “disappearing” when the air disappears, explains Lundeby.
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Normally, the train could be evacuated, but this has proved difficult as the train is standing on the bridge.
– It is the evacuation of the passengers that you have problems with. The train can eventually run, but it takes time to fill the brake pipes with air.
Will be canceled
– How does it work?
– There are compressors on the train. But it takes time. This usually works, but with such a large leak it takes a long time, explains Lundeby.
– The train will be canceled in due course, but the most important thing is that the people on board get off in Drammen and get another train.
– How is the travel guarantee here?
– It is the case that if you are half an hour late or more, you can get half of the ticket price back. It is completely standard. If you have a monthly card, you get a fraction of the price back. It’s a calculation.
At around ten o’clock press guard Lundeby tells that a recovery train is on its way from Oslo to Drammen.
– It will be in place around 10.20. The leak was too big, so the salvage train comes with tools to mechanically shut off some air loops so that the train can be moved. The passengers will not transfer to the rescue train, it will be pulled by the Dal train to Drammen.
At 10.35 the train had still not been rescued from the railway bridge, but just before 11 a.m. a recovery train arrived. At 11.30 the train arrives at Drammen station.
– There are opportunities to walk on the bridge, why not evacuate the train on the spot?
– There is little desire to release 200 passengers with different health conditions and mobility and such things outside. It is a total assessment of situations. And on the train there is light, electricity and a toilet.
– Gets restless
Among those on the train is Andreas Rønbeck, who is going to work in Oslo.
– It is not pleasant for any of us. There are many people who have to go to work and have to postpone meetings. And there is a mother with a small child here, says Rønbeck while a smaller child is heard crying in the background.
He describes the atmosphere on the train as stressful, and says that Vy employees are handing out water and that people are trying to keep their spirits up.
– You are a little worried about how to get out. There has been constant information about what they are doing here. Now the train driver is outside turning on the train, it doesn’t sound safe. Even if the person in question has the assistance of technical specialists on the phone who give advice, says Rønbeck.
At 09.45 the train driver announces over the public address system that the passengers will eventually be evacuated onto a recovery train which is on its way.
– Time is running out here. First we were told that the train was going to Brakerøya, then we were told that it was going back to Drammen. Soon two hours have passed. In addition, they have said that the air conditioning has stopped working in two of the carriages, so those who were there could transfer to other carriages.
Celebrating a birthday on the train
Martin Johansson is also among the roughly 200 passengers on the train. He is in good spirits, and says that he is on his way to work in Oslo.
– It’s a nice view from the train, but it’s not that much fun. Coffee and water are handed out, and otherwise there is not much they can do, says Johansson to Drammens Tidende.
He has been in contact with the boss, who agrees that Johansson will arrive late today.
– It was alright. But it’s my birthday and I celebrate it on the train, he says with a laugh.
Johansson has been commuting between Drammen and Oslo for three years. He has never experienced sitting for so long on a train.
– There have been quite a few mistakes, but as a rule it is not on the trains. Then there is talk of signal failure in Oslo. But lately there have been quite a few mistakes. It’s been crazy.
