Haywire: Passenger train goes down wrong track (Australia) (The sophisticated signal box involved was part of a $59 million overhaul...)

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http://www.news.com.au/news_content/state_content/4337125.htm

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Haywire: passenger train goes down wrong track

15dec99

A BLUE Mountains commuter train yesterday was sent down the wrong track after a blunder by a controller inside a signal box only one day old.

The 9.57am west-bound InterCity from Central to Lithgow was sent off the main western line on to the Richmond line at switch points at 10.30am, travelling 400m the wrong way to Blacktown station.

Several hundred passengers were on board when the train was diverted.

The train stopped at the Blacktown platforms on the Richmond line, about 100m from the western line platforms.

The incident near Blacktown station comes only 12 days after seven people were killed on a similar InterCity service near Glenbrook, possibly also due to controller error.

State Rail spokesman Wayne Geddes said last night a preliminary investigation revealed "human error" by one controller was to blame.

The Blue Mountains train was delayed at the station while it was shunted back on to the main western line and cleared to continue. Passengers remained on the train while it reversed on to its proper route.

Mr Geddes confirmed the 9.57am Central to Lithgow service was "misdirected" on to the Richmond line. He emphasised there was no problem with the signalling infrastructure itself.

Mr Geddes said the controller today will have to give a full explanation for his actions.

He will need to be "re-certified" on safe working rules before returning to duty.

The sophisticated new signal box involved was a major part of a $59 million overhaul of the Blacktown-Richmond junction by the Rail Access Corporation.

Many services to and from Sydney's west were either replaced by buses or disrupted last week as Rail Access Corporation commissioned the new Blacktown box. It only began operating on Monday morning.

The Richmond line operates under single line working conditions, meaning it takes trains in either direction.

A city-bound suburban service on the Richmond line passed in the opposite direction on the same track just 15 minutes earlier. One of the many alarmed passengers told The Daily Telegraph the train guard used the public address system to explain the mistake was due to train controllers "getting used to" the new box.

Mr Geddes said: "There was at no time any danger to passenger safety."

On December 2, seven people were killed and 51 injured when controller problems may have played a part in another Blue Mountains service slamming into the the slow-moving Indian Pacific.

Several inquiries, including an independent judicial inquiry by Justice Peter McInerney, are now underway into that incident.

A faulty red signal at Glenbrook station already has been acknow- ledged as part of the tragedy.

The drivers of the two trains radioed to Penrith signal box for instructions from the train controller on duty on whether to proceed from the signal.

Confidential tapes of radio conversations between the controller and the drivers are believed to hold the key to what happened.

Opposition transport spokesman Barry O'Farrell said last night the latest train controlling error was proof of the need for a wider inquiry into all State Rail signalling. "It's just not good enough to have passengers lives put at risk like this," Mr O'Farrell said.

Only one suburban service to the city was delayed by yesterday's mistake.

back

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 14, 1999

Answers

I can't WAIT, for manual!?!??????????

-- FLAME AWAY (blehman202@aol.com), December 14, 1999.

... leaving a whole year... scratch that... a whole couple of weeks for testing.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 14, 1999.

These things happen all the time.

(sarcasm off)

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 14, 1999.


Lends a new meaning to "Slam it into place at the last minute ..."

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 14, 1999.

You know, we have heard very little of the status of the railroads recently.

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), December 14, 1999.


http://www.excite.com.au/news/story/abc/20000112/16/domestic/46.i np

Overnight derailment added to train inquiry 3: 18 PM AEST January 12

Last night's train derailment at Hornsby in Sydney's north will be included in a State Government inquiry into rail safety.

The train was moving at about five kilometres an hour when it was derailed by a "catchpoint" safety device.

The incident is the eigth derailment in New South Wales in two months.

Acting Transport Minister Morris Iemma says the possibility of driver error will be investigated.

"Obviously that will be one of the things that will be looked at, but we don't know for sure what caused it," he said.

"Something caused the train to go past the red signal. We need to find out and that's why there's an investigation into Hornsby last night."

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), January 12, 2000.


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