Findings into 2020 bus and train collision at North Shore level crossing released

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has handed down its findings into a frightening collision between a bus and freight train at a North Shore level crossing that left two people in hospital.

AN investigation into a collision between a bus and freight train at level crossing in North Shore last year has found that the bus driver stopped on the crossing after boom gate warning lights activated, despite having adequate time to clear the crossing.

The coach, with a driver and single passenger on-board, was operating a rail replacement service from Melbourne to Waurn Ponds in Geelong on the morning of April 2 last year, and had just entered the Station Street level-crossing in North Shore when the crossing warning system activated in response to an approaching freight train.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found that when the crew of the freight train observed the coach, the locomotive driver made an emergency brake application while the co-driver began to sound the horn.

A bus collided with a freight train at the Station St rail crossing at North Shore in April last year. Picture: Alison Wynd

According to the report, the coach driver heard the train horn and attempted, unsuccessfully, to reverse the coach off the crossing, which led to the collision, severely damaging the front left corner of the bus.

At interview with transport safety investigators, the bus driver indicated he did not continue over the crossing as he did not want to be reported for crossing with the bells ringing.

Further, the driver indicated that he was surprised when the crossing was activated, as they were under the impression that V/Line trains were not running because they were driving a train replacement service.

When the coach driver was alerted to the train’s presence by the train horn, the driver recalled attempting to reverse the coach, but reported that they had forgotten to release the park brake.

The coach driver and sole passenger were both injured in the collision and were taken to hospital. The coach driver was released from hospital the same day, and the passenger the next day.

The front of the bus the severely damaged in the collision. Picture: Alison Wynd

In his findings, chief investigator Chris McKeown concluded that the coach had stopped past the boom barrier, with the front-left corner of the coach on the track.

The investigation noted that “the acute road-to-rail track angle and the position of the left-front corner of the bus relative to the track may have influenced the driver’s perception of the crossing”.

“Had the driver not stopped the coach when the crossing warning system activated, there was adequate time to complete the crossing prior to the arrival of the freight train,” Mr McKeown said.

In the past six years there have been 20 incidents of the boom barrier strikes by road vehicles on the inside lane of the Station Street approach.

Mr McKeown noted that the crossing configuration is probably conducive to driver error on that approach, and that additional risk controls may be warranted.

“While there were no identified queuing issues at the crossing that may have triggered a requirement to applying yellow box markings, such markings may have assisted the driver’s identification of the crossing limits and the hazardous zone,” he wrote.

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Originally published as Findings into 2020 bus and train collision at North Shore level crossing released