Romania’s Transport Min Drafts Railroad Accident Investigation Regulation

The draft document regulates the investigation procedures for railroad and subway accidents and defines the terms „accident”, „serious accident”, „serious damages”, „incident”, „investigation” and „main investigator”.

Halting railroad traffic due to natural causes (floods, tree falls, fire, snow, earthquake, etc.), damage to trains’ systems and cars or leakage of chemical substances is not listed as accident or incident, the Transport Ministry said in a news release.

Security centers of railroad operators will periodically draw statistics of accidents and incidents occurring on railroads and at the subway.

The Romanian Railroad Authority will have to intervene when accidents or incidents are reported, and a special office in charge with receiving emergency calls will function within the railroad authority.

The Government Decision will enter force 60 days after it is published in the Official Journal.