Milan, tram driver investigated. Atm: '5,000 euro to the people involved'

One of the central points of the investigation concerns possible anomalies in the functioning of the safety system of the tram, in particular the failure to activate the so-called 'dead man button'. The device, found on all tram vehicles, is a safety mechanism that requires constant action on the part of the driver: it must be kept depressed (or at least activated) while the vehicle is in motion. If the driver loses consciousness, becomes distracted or releases the control, the system automatically comes into operation causing the vehicle to stop within a few metres. This is particularly relevant considering that the convoy involved in the accident is a latest-generation Tramlink, one of the most modern trams in the Atm fleet.

Seizures and document seizures are underway in Milan, at the headquarters of Atm in Via Monte Rosa, the transport company in the Lombard capital. Also seized were conversations between the tram driver and the operations centre. Other investigations concern the data recorded by the "black box" of the convoy.

The driver of the tram that derailed in Milan on Friday 27 February 'failed to adequately regulate the speed of the vehicle while it was in the vicinity of a stop and the road intersection between Viale Vittorio Veneto and Via Lazzaretto' and 'turned left at such a high speed that the vehicle derailed and crashed into the building on the corner, causing a railway disaster'. This was written by public prosecutor Elisa Calanducci in the decree that ordered the seizure of communications between the tram driver and the Atm operations centre.

"All the necessary investigations are currently underway to reconstruct the dynamics of the accident and identify its causes," the magistrate emphasises in the order, specifying that, at present, "it is not possible to exclude any of the hypotheses concerning the causes of the event, whether they can be attributed to possible human error or technical malfunctioning.

Investigators aim to clarify not only the driver's condition at the time of the accident, but above all 'whether he reported criticisms or anomalies of any kind to the Atm operations room'.

"I felt sick, I felt sick," the man driving the tram had told those who intervened at the scene of the accident.

According to the final report of Areu (the regional emergency agency), the number of people hospitalised as a result of the derailment is 49 in all.

Atm, the company that manages public transport in Milan, has reportedly decided to support all those involved in the accident, even with an initial and initial compensation. The company will pay an initial sum of EUR 5,000 per person to those involved in the accident. Atm immediately expressed its condolences for the tragedy with messages and with two bouquets of flowers at the accident site, and is at the disposal of the investigators to ascertain the dynamics of what happened. The amount that will be paid to those involved in the vehicle derailment will then be adjusted according to the situation. The public transport company is trying to contact all the people involved in the accident and will take care of those who were left out of their homes due to the tram hitting a building. Atm is also working to contact the families of the two victims to provide all possible support.

After what happened, some citizens' committees are calling for the suspension of the circulation of Tramlink trams on the city streets. "While waiting for the investigations launched by the judiciary to clarify the dynamics of the accident, on behalf of the many concerned citizens," reads a note from the 'La 73 Non Si Tocca Committee', 'Gruppo Milano Mpl', and 'AspettaMi Milanesi in attesa dei bus', "we ask for the precautionary suspension of the tram model involved in the accident, called Tramlink by Stadler Rail Valencia, considering that the reconstructions, hypotheses and some rumours point to the possibility of failure to activate the numerous safety devices of the vehicle, in order to guarantee and protect the users of the vehicles in question'. The citizens' committees sent the request to Atm, the company that manages public transport in Milan, to the mayor Giuseppe Sala, to the councillor for mobility Arianna Censi, and to the heads of the political forces present in the city council.