High-speed train accident trial in Ankara stalled by expert report

The trial of 10 defendants regarding the YHT (High-Speed Train) accident, which occurred on December 13, 2018, when a high-speed train collided with a pilot train at Marşandiz Station, continued at the Ankara 30th High Criminal Court. The presiding judge announced that the expert report, which was requested in the previous session and is expected to clarify the technical causes of the accident, has not yet been prepared. In the accident, where 9 people, including 3 train drivers, lost their lives and 107 people were injured, the focus remains on a chain of negligence, such as the failure to change the switch and signaling errors.

INVESTIGATION PERMISSION NOT GRANTED FOR SENIOR EXECUTIVES

An expert committee consisting of faculty members from the Rail Systems Program at Eskişehir Technical University had previously found 9 senior executives, including the then-General Manager of TCDD, İsa Apaydın, and Deputy General Manager İsmail Çağlar, to be at fault in their earlier reports. Despite this, the Ministry of Transport did not grant permission for an investigation, and the Council of State upheld this decision. For this reason, the trial has remained limited to 10 personnel, including YHT Ankara Station Deputy Manager Kadir Oğuz and traffic controller Emin Ercan Erbey.

UP TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON REQUESTED FOR DEFENDANTS

The indictment argues that the trains entered the same track as a result of train formation officer Osman Yıldırım forgetting to change the switch. The defendants, who include branch managers and department heads, face up to 15 years in prison each for the crime of "causing the death and injury of more than one person." The relatives of those who lost their lives in the accident—Adem Yaşar, Hulusi Böler, Kadir Ünal, Arif Kahan Ertik, Ebru Erden Ersan, Kübra Yılmaz, Berahitdin Albayrak, Tahsin Ertaş, and Yusuf Yetim—are waiting for justice to be served as soon as possible.