Detour in place at Separation St level crossing after freight train derailed
A massive freight train has come off the tracks in North Geelong causing traffic disruptions on Thursday.
Geelong
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Geelong line services are running as scheduled on Thursday despite a freight train derailment.
The cargo train, believed to be carrying wheat, was travelling to the Port of Geelong when it came off the freight tracks in North Geelong.
The accident has caused disruptions at the Separation St level crossing as crews work to remove the carriages.
A detour is in place at the crossing.
A V/Line spokeswoman confirmed the incident and that passenger services from Geelong had been unaffected.
“We thank drivers for their patience while we worked to quickly and safely as possible to re-open the Separation Street North Geelong level crossing,” she said.
“Safety is our number one priority and a full investigation will be undertaken into the incident.”
The freight trains that run in the area are on a different track to the passenger trains to Melbourne.
It’s understood the derailment occurred just before midnight on Wednesday near the Separation St bridge.
A number of wagons came off the track but remained upright.
It caused long delays for peak-hour commuters with roads closed in all directions between Separation St, Dunn St and Douro St.
One motorist attempting to get to work at the nearby Cotton On head office was impacted by the intersection closure, at about 8am.
“It was so frustrating,” she said.
“They put out detour signs, which was nice, but myself and three other cars must’ve followed the instructions wrong and just ended up back where we started.
“I had to go all the way out to Corio and come back in, bit of a pain.”
No one has been injured and police are not involved.
Officers were on scene this morning assisting to divert motorists.
Traffic management remains in place at the Separation St level crossing, with work being undertaken to re-open the road as soon as possible.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator has been advised of the mishap and a full investigation into the cause is underway.
A broken piece of the track caused another derailment near the same location in 2022, leaving four carriages off the track.
Part of it sat for sometimes in gravel about 50 metres from the intersection of Douro and Separation St.
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Originally published as Detour in place at Separation St level crossing after freight train derailed
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