Zillisheim - English Summary

On July 22, 2024, an employee was electrified in the driver’s cab between Mulhouse and Belfort during a test campaign to verify the compatibility of Alstom’s new TRAXX MS 3 locomotive with the French network.
While the test train was travelling at 100 km/h near Zillisheim with eight people on board, an Ethernet cable came loose outside and touched a high-voltage part on the roof. It then caused an electric arc in the cab, seriously injuring a crew member. The material damage was minor, affecting only a few surfaces on the locomotive roof and inside the cab.
Since 2022, the test campaign has been the subject of rigorous preparation through a structured organisation, supervised by European and French regulations. The investigation has highlighted the systemic factors that led to the accident, such as technical incidents on the rolling stock, garage management problems and operational constraints. These difficulties, many of which arose late, have forced the test team to adopt a hyper-adaptive operating mode in order to carry on with the tests. Cooperation between the various stakeholders has enabled solutions to be found, but also it has led to improvised options and decisions taken in a hurry, increasing the risks and leading to unauthorised test conditions outside the pre-established framework. The Ethernet cable that caused the damage was hastily installed in this context without being checked.

The analysis highlights shortcomings in the management of changes during the testing. It highlights the importance of maintaining safety and preparation standards, even when facing unforeseen circumstances. The analysis also reveals that the flammable material from the injured crew member’s clothing contributed to aggravate the injuries.

Following the accident, testing has been stopped. Strong corrective measures have been put in place to prevent any recurrence. These measures include updating safety procedures when modifying test conditions, preparing the test train and checking the exceptional modes of use of the locomotives. In addition, the onboard personal protective equipment has been adapted. These measures enabled the tests to resume normally.

In addition to these measures, the BEA-TT is issuing two recommendations and two invitations to prevent this type of accident, in the following fields :
- making garage sites safer to improve conditions for preparing test runs ;
- monitoring technical hazards affecting rolling stock during the campaign to better support the test team ;
- taking into account feedback from this accident by test authorisation applicants ;
- formalising feedback from the accident for all the railway actors involved, to improve the safety of the tests on the French rail network in the future.