Video shows train lurching side to side on death-rail line near Wallan

Videos shot from a train driver’s cabin have revealed treacherous conditions on the main Sydney to Melbourne train line | WATCH

Videos shot from a train driver’s lurching cabin have revealed treacherous conditions on the main Sydney to Melbourne train line, embarrassing the Australian Rail Track Corporation and sparking calls for urgent intervention to prevent a repeat of last week’s double fatality in Victoria.

The ARTC is facing demands from train users, unions and the Victorian government to provide safe travel conditions between ­Albury and Melbourne after video footage showed an inter-city train jolting violently on the same line as the Wallan crash, which also left 11 passengers ­hospitalised.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack at the scene of the derailment. Picture: AAP

The videos show the driver struggling to negotiate twisted track, lamenting mud holes and warning that passengers would be thrown around their carriages if drivers travelled at the recommended maximum speed limit.

The movement was so sharp in one video that no one could have stood in the cabin, with the locomotive tipping from side to side and dipping as it negotiated the track, some of which was so bad that the high-speed trains needed to slow to 40km/h.

The video has emerged as the Victorian government negotiates with the ARTC over the contract to lease the line between Melbourn­e and Albury and the federal government gears up to spend $235m on urgently needed maintenance. Victoria is negotiating with the ARTC over the right to lease the rail assets for 99 years.

The scene shortly after the derailment. Picture: Scott Rickard

The ARTC manages and maintains an 8500km rail network across Australia.

A spokeswoman for Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said safety was a core element of negotiations with the ARTC over the contract, which required the corporation to maintain the line to ensure safety for its users.

Deputy Prime Minister ­Michael McCormack did not comment directly on the videos, which were first published last year, but a spokeswoman referred instead to the investigation into the Wallan disaster, which killed the train’s driver and its pilot.

PDF: What the drivers said

“This is a complex and ongoing­ investigation and it is too early to speculate on the cause or contributing factors,’’ the spokeswoman said. “The community rightfully want answers and to understand what has occurred, and the investigation will look at all the potential factors.”

The Rail Tram and Bus Union’s ­national secretary, Mark Diamond, said the video evidence ­underpinned the extent to which the rail corridor was known as a “goat track’’.

Drone footage of the Wallan Train derailment site. Picture: Australian Rail Track Corporation

“This line should be the jewel in the crown of Australia’s interstate rail network, but in the ­industry it’s known as a goat track,’’ Mr Diamond said.

“A major part of the problem is lack of investment, but the RTBU also has had longstanding concerns about ARTC maintenance practices.

“There is a massive gap ­between the standard of Australia’s interstate road network and our major interstate rail lines.’’

Last Thursday, Mr McCormack insisted trains would not run on dangerous tracks, but the videos showed obvious pressure on drivers. The government is poised to invest heavily in track upgrades but the state of the ­infrastructure is being linked as a potential contributing factor to the Wallan disaster.

The Australian revealed on Tuesday that the actions of the train pilot before the Wallan ­derailment were a key focus for ­investigators.

The pilot, Sam Meintanis, a track protection officer, was remembered­ by his family as a “beautiful soul who loved and lived life to the full”.

Two people were killed and 11 injured in the incident. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“He was the rock of our family, always ready to support and advise­ with compassion, stability and a positive outlook,” the family said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ARTC has privately said that the pilot of the doomed ­Sydney-Melbourne train was told of looming dangers, due to a compromi­sed signalling ­system.

The family of the driver, John Kennedy, 54, of Canberra, paid tribute to him on Tuesday.

“To try and sum John up in a few words, would be a gross misrepresentation of how great a ­husband, father, grandfather, mate and bloke he was,’’ they said in a statement. “His passion was trains. He showed this in his work ethic, passion and dedication to the railway. Joining the railway at the age of 14, his love for the rail never changed, if anything it just grew stronger.’’

The Border Mail newspaper reported last year that conditions on the ­Albury to Melbourne track were so bad at times that drivers had been forced to wear body ­protection.

The ARTC said: “Our primary focus, and key priority at all times, is to run a safe railway network for our customers and those that use it. ARTC will continue to provide all the support we can to both the investigation and response to this incident. The investigation will be complex and consider a range of factors.”