The NSW transport safety watchdog has blamed poor maintenance for a coal train derailment at Clifton last November which inconvenienced thousands of commuters and left rail authorities scrambling for alternative transport arrangements.
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The accident occurred just after midnight on Thursday, November 24, when an axle buckled on the 45-wagon coal train operated by Pacific National.
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Eight fully loaded wagons careened off the tracks, with six overturning, blocking the single-track line between Scarborough and Coalcliff stations for five days.
An investigation by the NSW Independent Transport Safety Regulator (ITSR) led to the inspection of 80 other axles on rail cars, most of which were operated by Pacific National. Four were found to be defective, three of which were still in use.
The fourth had already been taken out of service, however, it was unclear whether it was still in use after the derailment.
One of the axles was found with ‘‘easily detected’’ gouge marks, visible to the naked eye.
‘‘It should have been rejected [unfit for service] if examined as per the requirements of the transport operator’s axle requalification standard,’’ ITSR said.
The regulator would not say yesterday whether the defective axles were on cars operated by Pacific National.
ITSR has since taken aim at the maintenance procedures across the industry, including at Pacific National.
‘‘ITSR has acted on these findings by issuing a transport safety alert calling on operators to take a range of actions to reduce the risk of axle failure,’’ a spokeswoman said. ‘‘ITSR has not issued Pacific National with a fine or penalty as we have not detected any breaches of the rail safety legislation.’’
Pacific National said it was confident its rolling stock was safe to operate.
‘‘Pacific National has completed its investigation and identified that while an axle on one of its wagons failed, it has fully complied with all maintenance and operating standards and practices,’’ a company spokeswoman said yesterday.
‘‘Pacific National has since undertaken additional inspections of its fleet and Pacific National continues to explore options and new technologies that can enhance Pacific National’s current robust maintenance regime.’’
