Express freight Train 736, track occupation irregularity leading to a near collision, Christchurch, 14 April 2004
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
04-111
On Wednesday 14 April 2004, at 1504, Train 736, a Christchurch-Picton express freight service was signalled into the Christchurch-Belfast section of the Main North Line that was already occupied by a track maintenance gang. The occupation had been authorised by an outgoing train controller.
Three track maintenance personnel had to take evasive action when the train passed through their worksite.
There were no injuries or equipment damage.
Safety issues identified included:
- the lack of forward planning on the train control diagram
- the unintentional removal of a control block instead of a control tag from the section of track that was already occupied.
Two safety recommendations have been made to the Chief Executive of New Zealand Railways Corporation to address these issues
Three track maintenance personnel had to take evasive action when the train passed through their worksite.
There were no injuries or equipment damage.
Safety issues identified included:
- the lack of forward planning on the train control diagram
- the unintentional removal of a control block instead of a control tag from the section of track that was already occupied.
Two safety recommendations have been made to the Chief Executive of New Zealand Railways Corporation to address these issues
Location
between Christchurch and Belfast (-43.470737,172.615415) [may be approximate]