Freight rail - Tasmania

[ozbob]

The Examiner --> Rail tender goes to VEC Engineering

A North-West company has been awarded the largest tender for the Tasmanian freight rail revitalisation project.

VEC Civil Engineering, based at Ulverstone, will undertake the track works on the Melba and Western line.

This tender will include laying about 48,000 sleepers and 30 kilometres of rail.

The company was previously awarded the tender for the first IIP works package of the project.

Work will begin next month, and is expected to be wrapped up by mid-2017.

[ozbob]

9 News --> Tasmania train derailment: Lucky escape for pedestrians

Two pedestrians have escaped serious injury after a freight train carrying cement derailed in Devonport, Tasmania, this morning.

Emergency services rushed to Devonport Wharf about 9am after receiving a report that an automated TasRail train was about to derail.

Ten minutes later, the train derailed and hit a fence on Formby Road, just 100 metres from the Harbour Master Café.

A woman sustained cuts and abrasions to her head after the impacted fencing material struck her, Tasmania Police told 9news.com.au.

A man aged in his 40s also suffered cuts and abrasions, along with a suspected broken elbow.

Both have been taken to hospital to North West Regional Hospital.

Harbour Master Cafe owner Leigh Murphy has told The Mercury he heard a "loud rumbling noise" moments before the train came off the tracks.

"I thought it was an excavator coming off the Spirit of Tasmania," Mr Murphy told the newspaper.

Motorists are advised Formby Road will remain closed between Steele Street and Best Street for several hours, with investigations now underway.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/1042948940893630464

[ozbob]

Amazing, driverless (automated) train.  They lost control and notified the authorities the train was probably going to derail, and derail it did!

Must be an unusual setup.  My limited knowledge of driverless is that if control is lost the train automatically shuts down.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/danielbowen/status/1042960335961903107

[red dragin]

Driverless, or without out a driver? Aka "I'm sure I parked my train right here! :conf

I thought the only driverless system in Aus was the mining ops in North Western Australia.

[red dragin]

RP forums suggested that the loco is fixed to one end of the train, and can be controlled from the other end. Like the push-pull operations in Europe. Can also be operated from the ground during shunting.

So loss of communication from the other end or the remote, but fail safes failed. 

[ozbob]

Not sure if it is a driverless train.  It might be a train under the control remotely by a vehicle at the other end of the train.

Trying to find out.   Apparently TasRail has something like this. > http://www.railtasmania.com/loco/loco.php?id=dv

[ozbob]

RP forums suggested that the loco is fixed to one end of the train, and can be controlled from the other end. Like the push-pull operations in Europe. Can also be operated from the ground during shunting.

So loss of communication from the other end or the remote, but fail safes failed. 

Yeah, fail safe has definitely failed!   

[ozbob]

The Advocate --> Two pedestrians in hospital after freight train derailment on Formby Road, Devonport

UPDATE 11:30am:

Inspector Stewart Wilkinson has praised TasRail for an "outstanding result" in an emergency train derailment in Devonport this morning.

TasRail alerted police at 9am that the train would be derailed in the Devonport wharf area, near Formby Road.

"Our members were on the scene immediately and provided first aid to the people," Inspector Wilkinson said.

"We deployed all our resources, every police officer we had available we deployed. Every vehicle we had available we deployed... It was all hands on deck for that period of time."

The train was between Sheffield Road and Kelsey Tier Road at 9am.

TasRail and police knew the train was out of control for nine minutes but were unsure exactly where it would eventually derail.

Inspector Wilkinson said the response was very effective.

RELATED: Photos from the train derailment in Devonport

"If the train had gone on, it could have been far more serious."

"This is an outstanding result. But it is very unfortunate these people have been injured."

The automated train was carrying cement and did not have any passengers.

"TasRail and the national transport authority will conduct investigation at this point," Inspector Wilkinson said.

"We will now support TasRail and the investigating authority in maintaining the scene and rehabilitating the scene."

The train was travelling about 50 kilometres per hour when it was derailed.

Captain of the Torquay ferry Deryn McArthur was on the eastern side of the river when the crash occurred.

"I was on the pontoon counting takings for the week and I thought 'what's that?', and I saw a train burst off the tracks onto the grass.

"I could see a lot of sirens going off, sirens everywhere, and next minute the train hit a big steel stopper.

"With a mighty bang, a train appeared off the tracks completely near the Harbourmaster cafe."

Mr McArthur said the train "crumpled like a pack of cards."

UPDATE 10:45am:

Two pedestrians have been transported to the North West Regional Hospital after a train derailed in Devonport.

A woman in her 20s received cuts and abrasions to her head after the freight train hit a fence and the fencing material struck her.

A man in his 40s has a suspected broken elbow and cuts and abrasions.

At 9am TasRail alerted police about a freight train that was anticipated to derail in the Devonport wharf area.

Emergency services were on the scene when the crash occurred at 9.10am.

Formby Road between Best and Steele Street will be closed for several hours while the National Safety Regulator investigates the crash.

Police advise people to avoid the area while the scene is being investigated and then cleared.

Tasmania Police is expected to hold a press conference at 11am.

EARLIER:

One person has received critical injuries after a freight train derailed in Devonport.

The automated freight train derailed about 9.10am on Formby Road, opposite the Post Office, about 300 metres from the Harbour Master Cafe.

Formby Road is closed between Steele Street and Best Street until further notice.

Motorists are being diverted along Rooke Street, Stewart Street, and Edward Street.

Police urge people to avoid the area from now until further notice.

Two pedestrians are believed to have sustained injuries and are being treated by Ambulance Tasmania.

The train hit a fence as it derailed and the fencing material struck the pedestrian who sustained critical injuries.

A plume of dust could be seen in the air at the time of the crash.

Police and emergency services were on the scene as the derailment happened.

[ozbob]

>> https://www.facebook.com/TheAdvocateTas/videos/238672780326132/

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https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/5659441/police-praise-tasrail-for-outstanding-result-after-train-crash-in-devonport/?cs=12

UPDATE 1.30pm:

TasRail staff followed all safety procedures to bring a runaway freight train to a safe stop in Devonport, chief executive Steven Dietrich said.

TasRail first alerted police at 9am that an unmanned train would likely derail in the Devonport wharf area.

The train was derailed on Formby Road at 9.09am.

"All our safety procedures and controls were enacted to ensure that we brought this particular incident and the train to a safe halt protecting members of the public and public property," Mr Deitrich said.

The TasRail chief executive said he was unable to comment on whether the train was out of control until further investigation.

"But based on discussions between the expertise train control staff at TasRail, local TasRail staff here in Devonport and the emergency services and police were able to determine the best point to bring the train to a safe halt."

"As soon as the incident was made aware to the TasRail teams they were able to get hold of the police who were excellent in their response.

"They were able to support us through the process and coordinate the area, ensuring that we had a safe outcome and were able to bring the train safely to a stop."

Formby Road remains closed between Best Street and Steele Street

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> Two hurt after authorities purposely derail runaway, driverless train Devonport, Tasmania

AUTHORITIES purposely derailed a runaway, driverless train as it neared the heart of Devonport, where two people were injured by flying debris.

Loaded with tonnes of cement and travelling at about 50 km/h, multiple carriages were damaged as they left the tracks on the north Tasmanian city's waterfront just after 9am on Friday.

The TasRail freight train struck nearby fences, sending debris flying, which hit and injured two passers by.

Police Inspector Stuart Wilkinson explained how emergency service crews desperately tried to warn the public about the runaway train.

"We had all our police vehicles deployed with lights and sirens. That obviously indicated to people there was an issue (but) they wouldn't have been aware the train was going to derail basically in front of them," he told reporters.

"Given the timing, it was very difficult to get people in place and clear that area.

"It wasn't clear to us where the train would derail, only that ... it would, and it would be around the area of the wharf."

No one was on board the train which was being operated by remote control from a loading yard - a method that has been used for more than 15 years at Devonport.

It was out of control for only a short time after becoming "unsteady" near the Devonport silos, minutes before the derailment, Insp Wilkinson said.

"The train hit a derailment mechanism, and jumped into the air and it came to a stop very quickly and the procedure was very effective.

"Unfortunately it did come across about a 30m stretch of walking track ... and unfortunately there were two people at that spot."

Pieces of fencing hit a woman, aged in her 20s, in the head and a man in his 40s has a suspected broken limb and cuts, police said. They have since been released from hospital.

"We're very fortunate they're not seriously injured," Insp Wilkinson said.

"If the train had gone on, that potentially could have been far more serious."

TasRail said police were notified within three minutes of them learning the train was out of control.

"The train was diverted to a dead end siding track that has a permanent derailer, ensuring the train could be halted in the safest possible location," the operator said in a statement.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate why the train lost control.

"The ATSB's safety investigation will include an examination of the locomotive and wagons, interview witnesses, and obtain any available recorded data for analysis, amongst other activities," a spokesman said.

A crane is at the crash scene and the train's recovery is expected to start on Saturday.

[ozbob]

The Advocate --> Devonport's derailed train is yet to be moved by the crane

Tasrail has suspended the use of remote control hand-held technology on all of its services until the conclusion of investigations into an incident on Friday.

The announcement was made on Saturday after Devonport made national news when a driverless TasRail freight train with 16 wagons loaded with cement derailed on the waterfront, injuring two people.

A spokesperson from TasRail said the technology had been utilised by the company for more than 15 years in loading operations at freight terminals.

TasRail was planning to lift the first of seven wagons on Saturday afternoon as part of intensively managed recovery operations following Friday's derailment in Devonport.

"The Australian Transport Safety Bureau this morning partially released the site, enabling TasRail to shunt upright and undamaged wagons back into the terminal. These nine wagons are expected to be unloaded within the next 24 hours," a spokesperson said.

Product was being extracted from the seven remaining wagons to reduce the weight so they could be lifted by crane but the immediate focus was on the four rear wagons, which were blocking the main line.

Formby Road between Best and King streets will remain closed until the train has been removed with the assistance of a crane.

TasRail chief executive officer Steven Dietrich, on Friday, spoke to the two members of the public that were injured and expressed TasRail's concern, and sincere thoughts and wishes for a speedy recovery.

Mr Dietrich again thanked Tasmania Police and all emergency service personnel for their fast and professional response, as well as their cooperation with the TasRail team to safely manage the incident.

He also thanked the Devonport City Council and the local community for their assistance and understanding regarding disruption to traffic flows during the recovery operations.

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> TasRail forced to derail runaway train at Devonport

Tasmanian freight rail operator TasRail has confirmed it was forced to derail a runaway train north of Devonport on Friday, in an incident which left two bystanders with minor injuries.

A train being loaded with cement and operated via remote control departed without any command from its operator, just before 9am on September 21, according to a preliminary report from the federal safety bureau.

TasRail's Network Control Centre soon alerted Tasmania Police to the incident.

TasRail then diverted the train to a dead end siding track with a permanent derailer.

Roughly 12 minutes after the train's journey began, it arrived at the stops in the yard, and one locomotive and seven wagons were derailed.

Tasmania Police said the train derailed on Formby Road, opposite the Post Office, roughly 100 metres from the Harbour Master Café.

Two members of the public standing nearby sustained injuries. Both were discharged from hospital later that day.

TasRail says it immediately suspended use of the remote control hand-held technology at its freight terminals following the incident, but noted it has been using the technology for more than 15 years.

It will wait until the results of investigations by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and National Rail Regulator before reconsidering its use of the devices.

Crews worked over the weekend, and TasRail said on Sunday afternoon (September 23) it expected to see the mainline through Devonport re-opened overnight.

TasRail chief executive officer Steven Dietrich paid tribute to all involved in the recovery operations, noting they had worked under stressful and challenging conditions to empty wagons, lift wagons with a crane, focus on track repairs and liaise with customers.

"I thank every single TasRail employee who has contributed to this recovery operation and also recognise the patience of our important customers as services are being restored," Dietrich said on Sunday.

"From the moment we were alerted to this incident, it has been a huge team effort across all terminals and on site in Devonport to activate and implement our Emergency Response Protocol."

Dietrich also gave his sincere thanks to Tasmania Police, and emergency personnel who treated the two injured bystanders.

"I have today again spoke to the people who were injured and I am delighted to hear they are recovering well," Dietrich said. "I again expressed TasRail's thoughts and best wishes for a speedy recovery."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/atsbgovau/status/1593401176753831936