Winton train crash: Two workers injured due to unsecured freight

An investigation into a Winton train crash has shone the light on what led to workers being injured and an overhaul of safety procedures.

Large metal coil obstructing the Melbourne to Sydney train line near Winton, Victoria.

A large piece of metal coil which fell from freight train caused a passenger train crash which injured two people, a new investigation has revealed.

On March 30, 2018, a passenger train travelling from Melbourne to Albury had to apply the emergency brake when it struck the tail end of a steel jumbo coil which was obstructing the track in both directions near Winton, Victoria.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the coil had fallen from the 35th wagon of a Pacific National freight train which had been travelling in the opposite direction about 10 minutes earlier.
After falling from the train the 16 tonne coil impacted the ballast between the tracks at least twice, damaging the east and west tracks.

The Melbourne to Albury V/Line passenger train service was travelling at 110km/h when it struck the unrolled tail of the 1.9m diameter coil of rolled steel.

Two train crew members standing in the buffet car were thrown sideways as the train traversed the damaged tracks, sustaining minor injuries.

ATSB director transport safety Dr Stuart Godley said the train’s locomotive received superficial damage, but luckily it didn’t derail.

“While no injuries to passengers were reported, this investigation highlights the importance of robust load restraint systems to protect against movement of loads during transport, which is particularly important for heavy loads,” Dr Godley said.

“Should heavy loads like jumbo coils fall from train wagons they pose a significant risk to the safety of passengers and train crew of other rail vehicles.”

Dr Godley said the ATSB investigation found the coil had likely fallen from the wagon due to the absence of a rubber mat from one of the two faces of the cradle that supported the coil.

He said the missing rubber mat meant there was some metal-on-metal contact with the straps securing the coil, causing them to fail.

Two broken steel straps were found either side of the track where the coil had fallen from the train.

Dr Godley said photographic evidence showed the straps had been missing since at least June 2017.

“The missing mat resulted in steel-on-steel contact between the coil and the cradle,” said Dr Godley.

“This increased the likelihood of wear on the coil’s securing straps, particularly if the radial straps were positioned within the contact area, which was permitted by the operator’s loading rules.

“Consequently, the risk of securing straps breaking during the journey was increased.”

Since the investigation action has been taken to prevent any similar occurrences in the future, including Pacific National updating its freight loading manual to require the use of a minimum of two radial and two circumferential straps to secure coils, and the operator updating its wagon maintenance manual to include a requirement to “consider the condition of load mats during inspection and maintenance”, and to repair or replace as required.

The ATSB has also made two further formal safety recommendations to Pacific National.

Mr Godley said the first recommendation concerned the risk presented by continuing to allow the loading of jumbo coils in such a way that radial securing straps can contact the wagon’s support cradle, and the second concerned ensuring that cradles sufficiently restrain jumbo coils against lateral accelerations to prevent their moving and falling during transit.

“Load restraint systems should include assessments and documentation that demonstrate appropriate load cases, design requirements, operational and loading requirements have been met, to ensure that the safety of the load restraint is maintained over time,” he said.

Contact Cassandra at [e-mail]