Last warning sign for Sydney-to-Melbourne derailed train labelled as ‘disgraceful’

The makeshift final warning sign for the driver and pilot of the infamous Sydney-to-Melbourne train that claimed both their lives has been labelled as disgraceful. See the sign.

A makeshift wooden cross was the last warning sign given to the driver of the derailed Sydney-to-Melbourne train.

A wooden cross strapped to a rail signal with garden ties was the last warning of danger along the Sydney-to-Melbourne line where a train derailed and killed two people.

The Herald Sun has obtained an image of the dodgy DIY job, which will form part of the probe into the crash that claimed the lives of driver John Kennedy and pilot Sam Meintanis.

Concerns have also been raised that the out-of-action signals were not “bagged”, which is a practice used to cover the signal’s light and give drivers a clear indication of issues on the line.

One of the last decommissioned signals the driver of the doomed Sydney-Melbourne train passed before it careered off the tracks.

Train driver John Kennedy was killed when the train he was driving derailed at Wallan.

The train that derailed was going well above the makeshift speed limit of 15kmh when it derailed, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau probing how the driver missed instructions about restrictions.

It is understood the crash investigation will also look at whether live signal testing by Australian Rail Track Corporation workers had been occurring along the track, which could have confused those controlling the train.

Live testing of signals while services are still running is banned by VLine, which also runs trains on the section of track where the crash occured.

Senior Victorian transport sources have said that running trains through the track where signals were not “bagged” increased risk, and the way they had been marked with a cross tied together with plastic was a “disgrace”.

The wreckage of the Sydney to Melbourne XPT train. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Signals were out of commission in the area around the derailment — near to Wallan, just north of Melbourne — due to a fire that affected the signal box.

The Herald Sun understands questions are being asked about members of the team sent to fix that problem, who were under a cloud due to involvement in other incident on the rail network.

ARTC chief executive John Fullerton said yesterday that it was not appropriate to comment on the ongoing investigation.

“I don’t want to rule things in or out,” he said.

“The main thing now is to work closely with those investigators to understand all the facts leading up to the incident. Often these are complex matters.”

The train driver and his pilot were killed when the train derailed. Picture: Tony Gough

Freight services were expected to resume by today with passenger trains to follow.
In the aftermath of the crash on February 20, serious deficiencies on the track itself were discovered, including missing bolts or “fasteners” that can cause sections to separate and carriages to jolt.

Planned works to upgrade the Albury-to-Melbourne section of the line are trying to rectify some problems, including drainage issues under tracks that cause rough riding — something that has led to passengers falling off toilets in recent years.

Mr Fullerton said the ARTC has robust systems to manage track performance.

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