Christmas Eve was tragic on the tracks. The suicide of a TGV driver who jumped from his moving train was the cause of major disruptions on the South-East high-speed line which affected thousands of travelers on the evening of December 24. Behind the complaints of travelers, slow reactions from the SNCF and a still unexplained human tragedy.
What happened?
Tuesday evening, while the TGVs were full of travelers for the Christmas holidays, the driver of a train “ended his life while the train was moving,” said the SNCF. The incident occurred around 8 p.m. in Seine-et-Marne. “The staff noticed that there was no longer a driver in the cabin. And very quickly, they understood that a few kilometers earlier, the driver had probably wanted to end his life.” Philippe Tabarot, the new Minister of Transport, spoke of a “very appreciated driver” and experienced in the Saint-Etienne sector.
“As soon as he left his driving position, the train's automatic stopping devices were activated and the train stopped automatically,” SNCF said. “The safety of train passengers was not threatened at any time, nor was the safety of traffic, the traffic management center having been immediately automatically alerted,” the railway company said.
This “personal accident” is the cause of significant delays Tuesday evening on the LGV Sud-Est involving around ten TGVs departing from or arriving at Gare de Lyon and affecting thousands of passengers on New Year's Eve Christmas, with delays of up to three and five hours.
What does the survey say?
According to the Melun public prosecutor's office, which had mentioned before the SNCF confirmation a possible suicide of the driver, the incident took place south of Seine-et-Marne, in the town of Crisenoy, in the gendarmerie zone. Another judicial investigation was opened to investigate the causes of death and entrusted to the Melun gendarmerie company, according to the prosecution.
The driver presented personal difficulties at first glance but the investigation will have to determine the causes of this suicide.
The SNCF insisted on this “terrible tragedy” which plunged the entire railway family into “mourning” on this Christmas Day. According to a spokesperson, this is “in memory” the first time that such an incident has occurred. “There will be an external and internal investigation which will be carried out on these safety issues”, also indicated the Minister of Transport, saying he was “not in a position, as minister, to be able to say whether we can further improve the system” .
What is Vacma?
The SNCF explains that the safety device, called “Automatic Standby with Support Maintenance Control” (Vacma), “makes it possible to confirm the active presence of the driver at all times” in the train's driving cabin. The driver must therefore “alternately press then release either a pedal with the foot or a contactor with the hand”, indicates the SNCF. “If he doesn't release the pressure every 30 seconds or if he doesn't press the mechanism again after 5 seconds, a very loud alarm goes off in the driver's cab to make him react. He has 3 seconds to do it. »
“If it does not do so, the train engines automatically cut off their traction effort and the automatic emergency braking device is triggered at the same time,” specifies the company. “This is what ensured that there was no endangering of the lives of the many travelers who were on this train (which) was crowded,” confirmed Philippe Tabarot.
The event led to the launch of the Pégase plan (Plan against congestion at stations in exceptional situations), intended to absorb the massive arrival of travelers at stations while most public transport is no longer in service. The device was lifted at 3 a.m., according to a source close to the investigation.
