On Tuesday 27 July 2021, a fire started in a fuse box at Sandefjord station and several places along the train line. A lightning strike was initially blamed for the fuse system going up in smoke, but eventually it emerged that it was probably a crow that started the fire. Bjørn Ståle Varnes, track manager Vestfold-telemark Bane Nor Photo: Philip Hoffgaard / news – It should not be the case that a bird breaks our facility, as it did here. It was probably a combination of several things that happened, says Bjørn Ståle Varnes, track manager at Bane Nor Vestfold-Telemark. The fire caused extensive damage to the signaling system, a technical room at the station and the catenary between Sandefjord and Larvik. In addition, three level crossings were damaged by fire and put out of service. Much has to be rebuilt again. The costs are estimated at NOK 75–80 million. – So far we have spent NOK 66 million. We expect to stay below NOK 80 million, says Varnes. FUSE CABINET: The fire may have started in a safety cabinet at Sandefjord station. Photo: Trond Reidar Teigen / NTB Mapping the course of events Due to the high costs, the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board was called in to carry out investigations. Accident inspector Lars Fredrik Andersen explains that there must be no fatalities in an accident for them to look at incidents. – High costs are also a reason why we investigate railway accidents in Norway. We are trying to find out what happened in order to prevent repetitions, says Andersen. BURNED OUT: A technical room at Sandefjord station suffered extensive damage in the fire. Photo: Stefan Christensen / Spordrift The discovery of the burnt crow led Bane Nor to conclude that the crow had been lost in power lines connected to the railway. – We have a lot of birds that sit on high-voltage lines and short-circuit the system, says Varnes. An error must have meant that the power at Sandefjord station was not switched off, as it should have been. The high-voltage line fell to the ground and it took several minutes before the voltage was manually switched off, according to a status report from the National Accident Investigation Board. This led to a number of fires along the train line and the consequences for the infrastructure were great. The investigation by the Accident Investigation Board must clarify the sequence of events and point to possible causal relationships. – The cause has not yet been determined. We are collecting a lot of information to try to find out what has happened and why it has happened, says Andersen. The aim is for the report to be ready, early in 2023. Equipment shortage It has been 443 days since the fire at Sandefjord station, but not all infrastructure is still in place. The reason is that much of the equipment is old. In addition, there have been challenges in obtaining new equipment. – One of our subcontractors has not had the capacity to enter into this project. Last year we had to postpone completion until December 2022, says Varnes. Bjørg Haugen, train passengers on the Vestfold Line. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news After the fire, Vestfoldbanen has been running with reduced capacity, south of Sandefjord, but on 12 December they will be back in normal operation. For train commuters, the wait has been long. – There has been a lot of uncertainty and bus for train. They stretch our patience, but we can’t do anything but wait, says Bjørg Haugen.
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The crow at Sandefjord station could cost society up to NOK 80 million – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
