Page 16 - Report of the railway accidents investigated in 2023

Annual report 2023 The title of each official contains the name of the transport sector within which they
are responsible for conducting safety investigations. An official is independent in conducting safety investigations within his field and must complete the tasks assigned to him on time and with high quality. The legislation stipulates the confidentiality of certain official information. Officials of the other sectors of transport may assist their colleague in their investigation if necessary. During absence from work all officials can be substituted by a colleague to a certain extent. The substitution is documented in digital document management. At the end of their absence, the official shall receive all relevant information in order to continue and complete the work.
Only the Safety Investigation Bureau has the right to conduct safety investigations in Estonia.
A safety investigation is independent of any other investigation or procedures of a given case that might be taking place in parallel. The safety investigation is a completely independent process. The independence of the safety investigation must be maintained even in the event of possible cooperation with other proceedings of the same case. No other investigation or proceedings conducted by law enforcement, surveillance authorities or other authorities and institutions are related to the safety investigation. Only the ESIB decides the content and results of a safety investigation.
The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (CPTRA) is an independent state agency in the administrative area of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with a separate budget, structure, and management. The CPTRA performs the function of the railway safety authority and a regulator in Estonia.
All railway infrastructure managers and rail operators and other undertakings that manage or own other railway infrastructure or rolling stock are independent manufacturing enterprises acting as legal persons. After the parliamentary elections that took place in the spring of 2023 the Ministry of Climate was formed. As of 1 July 2023 three public railway companies were transferred to the administration of the Ministry of Climate, which also holds their shares. These are the railway infrastructure manager Estonian Railways Ltd, railway freight transport undertaking AS Operail and the railway passenger transports undertaking AS Eesti Liinirongid (Elron). The Estonian state does not participate in the ownership of the rest of the infrastructure and freight companies. The relationships between the Safety Investigation Bureau and railway undertakings are regulated by legal acts and directives.
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