Track workers killed by coal train

Track workers killed by coal train

Yuko Narushima
Source: SMH

July 16, 2007 - 2:54PM
Two rail workers are dead after being hit by a coal train in NSW's Hunter region.
The men were signal technicians working for the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
The men were working on the tracks at Singleton station at 5.50am today when they were struck by the northbound train, police said.
The men, who were wearing work vests, died instantly. They have not yet been formally identified.
ATRC chief executive David Marchant said in a statement: "The two signal technicians appear to have been walking along the railway line about 5.30am this morning when they were struck by a train.
"Prior to this, the two technicians had been working on points at Singleton Railway Station."
The state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Nick Lewocki, said the men were attending to signal problems near the station when the freight train came through.
He said he did not know what triggered the accident and did not want to speculate on the cause of the accident until it had been investigated.
"This is a tragedy for everyone concerned, including the train crew who must be absolutely devastated," Mr Lewocki said.
"We'll wait for the outcome of the inquiry and identify if there are any safety precautions that can be put in place to ensure such a tragedy doesn't happen again."
He said current safety measures were stringent.
Maintenance workers alert signal box controllers before they access the tracks and keep in radio communication with them as they carry out the work. Anyone working on or around the tracks wear vests so they are visible to train crews.
"This is the first fatality we've had on the track in four years," Mr Lewocki said.
"Prior to that we had quite a number of deaths. We put in very good safety standards but even with those, these tragedies occur."
Some train services were cancelled in the Hunter region as authorities investigated the deaths.
RailCorp said the tragic incident had forced the cancellation of the 6.21am, 8.51am and 10.10am services between Maitland and Muswellbrook.
A spokeswoman said more cancellations might follow.
"We're trying to get buses at the moment ... we're just seeing how long it takes to clear track," a spokeswoman said today.
"Until emergency clears the line we can't really run any trains."
Mr Marchant said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau would also investigate.
The town of Singleton is on the banks of the Hunter River, more than 200 kilometres north-west of Sydney.