As the Cheka-OGPU and Rucriminal.info discovered, Russian Railways learned of the defect in the track, which ultimately caused the derailment of passenger train No. 302 Moscow-Chelyabinsk on April 3, on February 7. In March, the "track patrol" signaled the problem twice more, but there was no response. Ultimately, the train derailed, and it's fortunate that no one was injured.

 

According to materials obtained by our project, on February 7, the track inspection station at kilometer 953 detected a group 2 defect on the right-hand track. The signal from the non-destructive testing equipment was reported to management. According to instructions, a secondary inspection and detailed inspection of the rails was scheduled. But this never happened.

 

On March 2 and 27, the track inspection station again recorded rail defects. Again, Russian Railways failed to respond. And on April 3, a passenger train derailed due to this defect.

 

A criminal case was opened under Article 263 of the Russian Criminal Code (violation of safety regulations) regarding the derailment of seven cars near the Bryandino station. Investigators believe the accident was caused by the poor technical condition of the track.

Track workers have already stated that management's current directive is to cut corners on everything. Therefore, they simply ignore reports of defects. They occur frequently, as the track condition is very poor.

 

There is no doubt that the switchmen will be held accountable for the disaster. Russian Railways management didn't even visit the site, only dispatching repair trains. Moreover, according to our information, the state-owned company initially tried to blame the accident on "outside interference," as it has done many times before.