At about 0840 on 17 March 2011 a Track Occupancy Authority
(No50A) was issued from 09-13 signal Stroud Road to 11-03 signal
South Craven for a hi-rail weed sprayer to work on track. At 0851
the Protection Officer advised the Network Controller that he was
in the Stroud Road to Craven section at 283.084 km (which is near
Wards River @ 282.783 km) and was about to put the hi-rail on the
track when he realised a train was approaching. No person was
injured and there was no damage.
Discontinued:
Section 21 (2) of the Transport Safety Investigation Act
2003 (TSI Act) empowers the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
(ATSB) to discontinue an investigation into a transport safety
matter at any time. Section 21 (3) of the TSI Act requires the ATSB
to publish a statement setting out the reasons for discontinuing an
investigation.
On 17 March 2011, the ATSB commenced an investigation into a
safeworking irregularity incident that occurred at about 0840
Eastern Daylight-saving Time on 17 March 2011 near Wards River, New
South Wales. Examination of the information collected during
the investigation identified that the occurrence had significant
similarities to aspects of another occurrence already being
investigated by the ATSB. That investigation, RO-2010-004, involved
a collision between an XPT passenger train and a track-mounted
excavator near Newbridge, New South Wales on 5 May 2010.
Given the similarity of the two occurrences, the ATSB has decided
to examine the Wards River occurrence within the RO-2010-004 investigation of
the accident at Newbridge. Accordingly, the separate RO-2011-005
investigation of the Wards River occurrence was discontinued.