Subscribe to RSSFreight Train Derailment Raises Safety issue
A safety issue is raised in a rail accident report concerning a express freight train derailment.
On October20 2006, the sixth wagon on express freight train 237 derailed and entered a crossing loop at Utiku, derailing 9 other wagons and bringing down a section of the overhead electric traction line as well.
The transport accident investigation has found that the derailment was caused by the dynamics of a permanently coupled pair of wagons and the design of the modified solid drawbar arrangement when the wagons behind bunched and “ran-in” while the train was under braking on a descending gradient.
In its report released today, it says: “A safety issue identified was the incomplete process for approving a new design of coupling and monitoring its performance in service. No new safety recommendations have been made in this report as the safety issue has been raised in previous reports and safety recommendations are still currently open pending corrective action.”
1 Comments
Almost FOUR years for an (apparently) relatively simple safety report? They seem to either have two staff and a solar-powered calculator to cover all of NZ (quite possible, seeing the rail largesse in this country) or they seem pretty incompetent & slow.