Magical Christmas Train director fronts court for hearing over 2019 rollover

THE director of a company that runs Darwin’s Magical Christmas Train ride has faced a court hearing after being charged with allegedly causing a carriage rollover

The Magical Christmas Train after a carriage rolled over in The Gardens.

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THE director of a company that runs Darwin’s Magical Christmas Train ride has faced a court hearing after being charged with allegedly causing a carriage rollover, which left five people injured in late 2019.

Total Event Services director Colin West pleaded not guilty to charges of recklessly endangering serious harm, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, driving and uninsured motor vehicle and driving a vehicle in a dangerous manner – all related to the incident on the night of December 23, 2019.

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Four children and one adult riding in the train’s rear carriage were injured when it dislodged and rolled over during a ride around Darwin’s Botanic Gardens.

West appeared in the Darwin Local Court yesterday to face the first of a three-day hearing, represented by Barrister Mary Chalmers.

The court heard NT WorkSafe and police attended the scene on the night to investigate and take photographs, with a crash investigation conducted in February of this year.

The Magical Christmas Train runs annually in The Gardens.

Several police offices were summoned to court to give evidence in the hearing.

The Magical Christmas Train runs annually in the Botanic Gardens from mid December to mid January, with numerous trips running each night.

The ride was cancelled for the rest of the Christmas period after the incident in 2019 but was up and running again during Christmas of 2020 after the train was hired by the Palmerston Council.

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West told the NT News last year the train had been vigorously checked since the crash.

“The train has been fully certified, re-looked at, double-checked, gone under vigorous examination, had components replaced – it’s been passed by every single authority you could think of,” he said.

“Safety is paramount and our first priority with how we use it. It’s not worth operating if there’s the chance of having an accident.”

The hearing continues today.

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