The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its preliminary investigation report into a collision between two road rail vehicles that left one driver trapped and seriously injured while five other people sustained minor injuries.
The accident occurred on 4 June 2013, on the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania. The road rail vehicles used on the railway are trucks designed to travel on both the road and on train tracks. When they transition from the road, they use front and rear sets of rail guidance wheels, which are lowered when the vehicle is positioned on the track. On the day of the accident the track workers placed the road rail vehicle on the track and were preparing to travel to a worksite near Rinadeena Station when it unexpectedly started to roll backwards. The driver was unable to slow the vehicle, so he and the passenger jumped clear, suffering minor injuries.
The vehicle continued to accelerate, out of control, down the steep slope, heading towards a second road rail vehicle containing four track workers.
The now-unmanned vehicle continued to accelerate, out of control, down the steep slope, heading towards a second road rail vehicle containing four track workers. Two passengers of the second vehicle jumped clear, sustaining minor injuries, but a third passenger and the driver were still inside when the unmanned road rail vehicle collided with theirs, pushing it back about 40 m along the track. The passenger sustained minor injuries, but the driver was trapped and seriously injured in the collision. He was subsequently removed from the vehicle and air lifted to hospital. Both road rail vehicles were extensively damaged.
The preliminary ATSB investigation has found that the first vehicle’s rear road-going tyres were lifted from the track during an inspection of the rear rail guidance wheels. As a result, the braking force provided by them was lost and the vehicle began to roll down the grade. The investigation has also found that West Coast Wilderness Railway had not considered all of the risks associated with operating road rail vehicles on the steep railway and, therefore, had not identified the need for operator specific procedures and training.
While the investigation is ongoing, the ATSB is encouraging all rail organisations that operate road rail equipment to consider the advice in safety alert RISN Number 7/2012 Risk associated with Hirail Operations (issued by the Department of Infrastructure, Energy & Resources, Tasmania).
Read the preliminary report: Collision between two road-rail vehicles near Rinadeena, Tasmania, on 4 June 2013