Car collides with Bellarine steam train
A Bellarine steam train and a car have collided, with drivers being warned to look out for the historic engine after repeated incidents.
Geelong
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A car collided with a historic Bellarine steam train at the weekend after failing to give way at a level crossing.
The Bellarine Railway steam locomotive and the car collided about 5pm Saturday at the Queenscliff-Portarlington Rd intersection.
The Geelong Steam Preservation Society operates the railway. Its director Joshua Clark said the car failed to stop and was hit side-on by the slow-travelling locomotive, which was coming back to the depot.
He said there were two crew members on the train at the time and just the driver in the car.
“We’re lucky there were no injuries,” he said.
“And there was no damage to the train, aside for a few scratches as it was going very low speed because it was coming back into a yard.”
Mr Clark said this was not the first time there had been an incident and said drivers should “stay aware” at level crossings. He said despite the train being focused on tourism, the tracks were used seven days a week
“It’s something – near misses and trespassing incidents – we deal with a lot,” he said.
“We have maintenance trains, track machines, they can run at anytime anywhere so stay off the tracks and look out at crossings.
“Us being a low-speed railway the injury rate is a lot lower, but it’s not just us, it does happen on major train lines.
“Use common sense and act safety around train tracks.”
He said roads had remained closed for a short time after the crash, and police were now investigating the incident.
A Victoria Police spokesman said there were no injuries to the driver of the car or anyone in the train.
Two weeks ago a man died after being struck by a train at North Shore station .
The deadly incident on Thursday, May 290, caused major delays for Geelong commuters.
Emergency services were called to the scene on Station St about 7.30pm.
More than 300 passengers were on-board at the time of the tragic incident and remained stranded just meters from the platform.
The disruptions continued for hours, with coaches replacing trains on the Geelong line between Lara and Geelong, until 11pm.
Originally published as Car collides with Bellarine steam train
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