METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO CARRYING OUT THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN UKRAINE AND ABROAD

Abstract

While transporting passengers and cargo by rail transport, there is always a risk of an unusual situation arising as a result of exposure to various factors or actions of people (operators) namely a railway transport accident. In case of such a situation official (special) investigations are performed; the reasons for its occurrence are detected. Materials, testimonies and facts determinated while performing this type of investigation are important enough and used while carrying out the research in the framework of railway transport forensic examination. All efforts to improve the methods of investigating the causes and factors of influence on the occurrence of railway transport accidents are reduced to one goal: improving the quality of their investigation and preventing crashes and catastrophes in rail transport in the future. There are certain methodological approaches while conducting an official investigation of railway transport accidents abroad (in the Baltic States, Kazakhstan, Russia) and in Ukraine. The process of performing an official investigation in Ukraine is examined in detail according to current Methodological Guidelines. Work towards improving and perfection these approaches has been ongoing and this has undoubtedly been positively reflected on the research process within the frameworks of implementation of forensic railway transport examinations. It should be also noted that the competent, complete and high-quality execution of materials submitted to forensic experts for performing examination will allow to fulfill the assigned forensic railway transport examinations and provide substantiated conclusions in optimal time frame.