2020 Wallan derailment

2020 Wallan derailment
XPT power car 2018 was derailed in the accident.
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Details
Date	20 February 2020 (2020-02-20) 19:43 AEDT
Location	Wallan, Victoria
Coordinates	37°24′15″S 145°01′06″E / 37.40417°S 145.01833°E / -37.40417; 145.01833Coordinates: 37°24′15″S 145°01′06″E / 37.40417°S 145.01833°E / -37.40417; 145.01833
Country	Australia
Line	North East
Operator	NSW TrainLink
Owner	Australian Rail Track Corporation
Incident type	Derailment
Cause	Under investigation
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	155
Crew	7
Deaths	2 drivers
Injured	61 (8 serious)
hideRoute diagram Legend to Shepparton to Albury Merri Creek Epping–Kilmore Road Wallan passing loop Wallan Wallan–Whittlesea Road to Melbourne to Melbourne broad gauge standard gauge narrow gauge

On 20 February 2020, an XPT passenger train operated by NSW TrainLink derailed while passing through a turnout at Wallan, Victoria.^[1] Of the 162 total on board, there were two fatalities and 61 passengers were injured, eight of whom sustained serious injuries.^[2]

The service was running from Sydney to Melbourne and was passing through Wallan approximately 19:43.^[3] The interim report into the accident indicated that the train had entered the turnout, with a specified speed limit of 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph), at more than 115 kilometres per hour (71 mph).^[4] An investigation into the accident is ongoing.

Background[]

On 3 February 2020 a vehicle had struck overhead wiring at Wallan,^[2] leading to a fire in a signalling hut which caused extensive damage to wiring and affecting signalling on the North East line between Donnybrook and Kilmore East. Trains were signalled through the affected section using Caution Orders. On 6 February, this was changed to using Train Orders,^[5][6][2] a manual safe-working system.^[7] The points at the Wallan Loop were set to the straight ahead position and locked. No speed restriction was put in place.^[2] ABC News and The Age reported that V/Line services in the Wallan area had been delayed in the weeks leading up to the accident due to the ongoing faults.^[1] On 20 February, trains were routed through the Wallan Loop for rail cleaning purposes. A speed limit of 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph) entering the loop and 35 kilometres per hour (22 mph) exiting the loop was out in place. Two V/Line trains passed through the loop before the XPT train.^[2]

Accident[]

The accident occurred at 19:43 AEDT (08:43 UTC), when the Melbourne-bound train entered a turnout near Wallan, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Melbourne, and derailed. The train, comprising power car 2018 (leading), five carriages and power car 2000,^[8] was carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members.^[2][3][9] The train was running about two hours behind schedule at the time of the accident.^[10] As the train passed through the turnout, leading power car 2018 and the five carriages derailed,^[9] with rear power car 2000 remaining on the track.^[8] The train had entered the loop at a speed of between 114 and 127 kilometres per hour (71 and 79 mph).^[2]

The first 000 call was made at 19:45.^[2] Two people were killed: the train's driver and the pilot.^[1] Emergency services confirmed that 12 people had been taken to hospital.^[10] The injured were taken to the Kilmore Hospital, Kilmore and The Northern Hospital, Epping;^[10] one person was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.^[9]

Aftermath[]

The derailment caused the closure of the North East line and the adjacent broad gauge Tocumwal railway line, impacting freight services and V/Line services to Seymour, Shepparton and Albury.^[11] On 23 February, the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) commenced removal of the train from the rail corridor.^[12] Seymour and Shepparton V/Line services resumed on 1 March, followed by Albury services on 2 March.^[13] Major speed restrictions were in turn enforced on the North East line, with NSW TrainLink temporarily terminating all Melbourne XPT services at Albury.^[14] Passengers reported that the train had been gaining speed at the time of the accident, after being stopped due to a "signalling issue".^[10]

On 23 February, ABC News reported that in the days preceding the accident, trains were scheduled to pass through the turnout in the straight ahead position. On that day, trains were instead diverted into a passing loop while work was carried out on the adjacent track. The Victorian branch of the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union (RTBU) reported that V/Line drivers were refusing to traverse through the section of track that the XPT service derailed on.^[7] At the time of the accident, one passenger told The Age that the train did not slow down before it derailed, and that he had seen a set of points set to divert the train from the straight ahead route.^[10]

Regularly scheduled XPT services between Sydney and Melbourne resumed on 4 June.^{[citation needed]}

Investigations[]

Australian Transport Safety Bureau[]

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) opened an investigation into the accident on 20 February.^[9] It is being led by the Victorian Government's Chief Investigator, Transport Safety (CITS), assisted by the ATSB and the New South Wales Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) in accordance with the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.^[15] The train's data logger was recovered as part of the investigation.^[8]

A preliminary report was published on 3 April. It was found that the train was travelling in excess of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) when it derailed. In the hours before the accident, a notice was circulated that trains on the North East line were to be routed via the Wallan passing loop, with a specified 15 kilometres per hour (9.3 mph) speed limit for entry into the loop.^[4] The train had approached the loop at "about the track's line speed" of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph), and an emergency brake application was made shortly before the train entered the turnout into the passing loop.^[5]

The ATSB issued an interim report on 10 June 2021.^[2] The final report is expected to take 18 months to complete.^[8]

WorkSafe Victoria[]

WorkSafe Victoria is also investigating the death of the train's pilot, a 49-year old man from Castlemaine.^[16]

See also[]

• Railway accidents in Victoria

Bibliography[]

References[]