Reggio Calabria, 5 November 2024 - A railway emergency drill took place last night in the Francica tunnel, on the Vibo Pizzo - Mileto route, part of the Battipaglia - Reggio Calabria line. The drill’s aim was verifying and consolidating emergency communication procedures and flows between various authorities, in the event of an accident in a railway tunnel.
The drill, coordinated by the Prefecture of Vibo Valentia, was attended by the structures belonging to Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Trenitalia and FS Security (FS Italiane Group), the Civil Defence Service of the Calabria Region and the Municipality of Mileto (VV), the Provincial Fire Department of Vibo Valentia, the Emergency Service (118) and ASP of Vibo Valentia, the Carabinieri and Traffic Police Forces, the Province of Vibo Valentia, the Vibo Valentia Police Headquarters, the Railway Police and Guardia di Finanza, the Italian Red Cross and voluntary associations.
During the simulation, a passenger train that just left the Mileto station bound for Lamezia Terme Centrale came to a halt, about 200 metres after entering the Francica tunnel from the south side, following the impact with an obstacle that caused an axle of the locomotive to block. The accident caused a fire to break out, and it was promptly put out by on-board staff. After noticing that some of the 10 travellers on board were suffering from walking and breathing difficulties, the train conductor activated all assistance procedures, alerting the Operations Room, which in turn immediately alerted the Fire Brigade, 118, the Civil Defence Service and the Railway Police. Train circulation on the Vibo Pizzo - Mileto route was immediately interrupted. After rescuing passengers and securing the train, the technicians inspected the line to assess the infrastructure’s conditions.
With the drill, the General External Emergency Plan and its procedures were tested to increase safety standards; it also assessed the rescue system’s response capacity in emergency situations, by checking intervention times, the activation methods of the bodies involved, and the suitability of the means of communication. In particular, the tunnel accessibility with emergency vehicles was verified, also through the use of the bimodal vehicle employed by Vibo Valentia Fire Department, to allow immediate intervention, assisted off-boarding and transfer of any injured person to the Triage area.
The drill had no repercussions on train traffic.