Emma Pritchard
An investigation into the derailment of a Melbourne bound freight train operated by Pacific National at Nana Glen on February 25, 2021, has revealed the risk of flooding at the site was not adequately identified or addressed by the track manager, the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
The investigation was conducted under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Commonwealth), by the Office of Transport Safety Investigations (NSW Government) on behalf of the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB), who handed down their findings on June 6.
An executive summery of the report stated the network users were not aware of the extent of the severe weather event and had not been advised of an amber alert issued by the weather monitor Early Warning Network (EWN) prior to the derailment.
While ARTC had procedures in place for monitoring and responding to extreme weather events, the process had significant limitations.
The mechanism (email) for alerting operational personnel required to respond to amber alerts did not ensure that alerts were always identified or actioned in a timely manner, and furthermore, the actions specified for amber and red alerts were insufficient to respond to escalating rainfall and flooding events, both forecast and actual.
The report also stated the culvert located closest to the derailment site did not have sufficient capacity to discharge the runoff from the significant wet weather event on the night of February 25, resulting in flood water rising on the southern side of the embankment before overtopping the track and subsequently washing away the ballast.
When the freight train passed over the washaway shortly after 2am, the first two locomotives remained upright while the third locomotive came to rest on its side after becoming unattached from the others which travelled a further 100m down the line on the sleepers following the derailment.
16 wagons of the 1500m long train, all containing general freight, also left the tracks.
Although shaken by the incident, the driver and co-driver escaped without serious injuries.
The North Coast Line was closed for more than a week following the derailment.
When contacted by the Clarence Valley Independent following the conclusion of the investigation, an ARTC spokesperson said safety remains their first priority.
“The flooding at Nana Glen was a consequence of the intense rainfall in an area already saturated in the weeks leading up to the derailment,” they said.
“We continue to work with Pacific National to strengthen the requirements of crew operating on our network to report hazardous weather.
“Since this incident took place, 20 remote weather stations have been installed along the North Coast Line to help deliver better information on weather conditions, and over the next two years we will install a further 50 remote weather stations, and approximately 500 stream flow monitors across the ARTC network.
“ARTC has also undertaken extensive work around culvert management, including a hydrology study which will help guide the installation of more flood monitoring devices and identify priority locations for upgrade or replacement.
“ARTC has also partnered with a new weather monitoring provider with additional requirements for monitoring rainfall near flooding special locations, and flood warnings for specific locations on the network.
“This partnership includes greater localised detail and is accessible to crews on their mobile devices.
“Further refinement of our extreme weather monitoring procedures and operational responses are also underway.
“ARTC is confident that these measures will help make our network more resilient and prepared to face more extreme weather events in the future.”