Investigation of railway accidents and incidents is one of the key areas and essential functions of the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau.
Railway accident and incident investigations are conducted by the Railway Accident Investigation Division, which performs the state administration function of investigating railway traffic accidents in accordance with the European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/572 (24 April 2020) on the structure of reports to be observed in railway accident and incident investigation reports, the Railway Law, the European Parliament and Council Directive 2016/798 (11 May 2016) on railway safety requirements—transposed by Cabinet Regulation No. 334 of 2 June 2020 "Procedures for Classification, Investigation and Recording of Railway Traffic Accidents"—by carrying out and supervising investigation activities.
The Railway Accident Investigation Division conducts independent investigations, ensured by regulations that guarantee the Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau’s organizational, legal, and decision-making independence from the railway infrastructure manager, carrier, shunting operator, railway technical operation control and supervision institutions, the European Union Agency for Railways, as well as from institutions responsible for determining and collecting railway infrastructure charges, allocating railway infrastructure capacity, or performing state administration in the railway transport sector, conformity assessment bodies, and persons whose interests may conflict with the Bureau’s tasks.
According to the aforementioned international standards and Latvian regulatory acts, specialists of the Railway Accident Investigation Division:
- Conduct safety investigations of railway traffic accidents,
- Perform investigations separately and independently from law enforcement agencies but coordinate their activities with them and other institutions involved in investigations in accordance with interdepartmental agreements,
- Prepare Final Reports and develop safety recommendations to prevent railway traffic accidents in the future operation of the railway system,
- Report to the Minister of Transport on serious railway accidents and significant incidents occurring in the territory of the Republic of Latvia, after which the Railway Accident Investigation Division has initiated an investigation,
- Send investigation final reports together with safety recommendations to the State Railway Technical Inspectorate, the European Union Agency for Railways, railway infrastructure managers and carriers involved in the railway traffic accident, victims and their relatives, owners of damaged property, manufacturers, relevant emergency services, personnel and user representatives, and, if necessary, also to the relevant authorities and persons in other European Union member states.
The Transport Accident and Incident Investigation Bureau’s Railway Accident Investigation Division has the competence to make decisions both on investigations of serious railway accidents and other railway traffic accidents and train movement-related incidents, if they currently or potentially may negatively affect traffic safety.