Victorian rail operators failed to act on boom gates despite warning, report reveals

RAIL authorities failed to act on boom gate safety recommendations for 2½ years, despite being warned of the risk of a catastrophic accident.

A view of the level crossing on Main Road in St Albans on April 26, 2013 in Melbourne Australia. The crossing is the scene of numerous fatalities and members of the local community are lobbying for improved safety.

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RAIL authorities failed to act on boom gate safety recommendations for 2½ years, despite being warned of the risk of a catastrophic accident.

Victoria’s rail network was plunged into chaos this week after Metro banned V/Line’s VLocity carriages from suburban tracks because a boom gate failed to close properly when a VLocity train approached a Dandenong level crossing last week.

This prompted a series of crisis meetings with the State Government.

But the Herald Sun has seen confidential internal documents that show rail operators knew of the potential for a major accident, following level crossing failures in 2011 and 2012.

And last May, a letter from Metro deputy chief executive Michael Houghton to V/Line chief executive Theo Taifalos revealed boom gates still had difficulty “detecting trains … on level crossing approaches”.

A February 2013 report by Metro’s top engineer, seen by the Herald Sun, recommended short-term fixes such as extensive track cleaning and new “Track Circuit Assisters” to help boom gates recognise a VLocity train’s approach.

Metro banned V/Line’s VLocity carriages from suburban tracks.

But these were no “silver bullet”; long-term plans for new axle counters, or replacing low-quality track circuits, were needed.

By yesterday 67 trains had been cancelled, triggering compensation.

Public Transport Victoria spokesman Nick White said some safety measures, “including a comprehensive monthly track scrubbing program focusing on level crossings”, had been implemented.

Also, “the fitting of axle counters has already occurred on the Stony Point line, and will be progressively rolled out to tracks shared by Metro and V/Line services”, he said.

Four TCAs were finally fitted to trains “late last year”, for a trial to last three months.

It is understood the latest problem was aggravated by abnormal wheel wearing on VLocity trains, which could also affect the sensing of a train’s approach to crossings.

Rail safety regulators are now assessing the VLocity fleet and replacing wheels.

Acting Premier James Merlino promised compensation for those commuters who had been affected.

“It may be free travel for a period; it may be other forms of compensation,” he said.

“This is not good enough.

“We expect better.”

Metro’s Leah Waymark said it was working “around the clock” with V/Line to investigate problems and “safely resume rail services”.

But Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Luba Grigorovitch accused Metro of contributing to the problem by failing to keep up with maintenance requirements, which was “their responsibility under the government franchise, which hands them buckets of taxpayer dollars each year”.

Opposition spokesman David Hodgett said “the buck stops with (Premier) Daniel Andrews and (Public Transport Minister) Jacinta Allan”.

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