Article: Thieves create rail crossing danger

[ozbob]

From the Cairns Post click here!

Thieves create rail crossing danger

Thieves create rail crossing danger

Julie Lightfoot
Friday, May 15, 2009
? The Cairns Post

THIEVES have sabotaged the level crossing near Cardwell where two tilt train drivers were killed late last year in a collision with a truck.

The crossing was left without a warning system this week after thieves stole equipment that operates the flashing lights.

A Queensland Rail spokesperson yesterday described the incident as "simply unbelievable."

The thieves used an angle grinder to break into the Rungoo level crossing?s signal control compound, beside the Bruce Highway south of Cardwell, sometime between 8pm and 9pm on Monday.

Two die at level crossing train crash

They took two Morningstar solar regulators, which stopped the crossing?s flashing lights from working.

Queensland Rail was forced to suspend all trains through the area.

A spokesman said staff had received an alarm call through the remote monitoring systems, letting them know the crossing?s flashing lights had been tampered with and were not working.

The incident comes as train drivers anxiously await the findings from an investigation into the double fatality at Rungoo crossing in November.

After the crash, which killed two Townsville train drivers, a number of motorists claimed the flashing lights at either Rungoo crossing or nearby Conn crossing were not working correctly at some point during the night.

A final report into the collision has been delayed and is now expected to be made public later this year.

A Queensland Rail spokesperson said police had managed traffic and protected the level crossing on Monday night until electricians arrived from Townsville only to find crucial components were missing.

The lights were repaired by 3pm on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said Queensland Rail was working closely with police.

"We are appalled by this act of vandalism," she said.

"It is simply unbelievable that someone would deliberately sabotage the flashing lights, particularly after the tragic accident at the crossing last November."

[Dean Quick]

The brainless idiots responsible for this, if caught, should be thrown in gaol as an example to any other idiot who may be contemplating doing the same!!!