Rail safety officials are investigating an incident involving a runaway train in the Hunter Valley, after a fully loaded coal train travelled several kilometres unmanned, including through level crossings.
Pacific National, which hauls coal from mines in the Hunter Valley, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying it occurred in the early hours of Saturday 25 July.
“There were no injuries to our crew or any members of the public, and there was no collision or derailment,” the company said, adding it had immediately notified Australian Rail Track Corporation network control and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.
The ABC reported the train began rolling independently downhill during a crew change at Camberwell, between Singleton and Muswellbrook, just after midnight on Saturday, and reached speeds beyond the line’s safe operating limit of 60 kilometres per hour. Pacific National did not respond to specific questions about how the train came to be unmanned or the speed it reached.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator said it had deployed a team of rail safety officers, investigators and rolling stock specialists to the scene.
The incident held up coal and passenger movements on the line for 36 hours. The Australian Rail Track Corporation said a locomotive sustained significant wheel damage but confirmed there was no derailment. The line was cleared just after midday yesterday.
