Train crash that killed two drivers may have been avoided

A train crash that killed two drivers may have been avoided if the speed limit was lower, a union has claimed. 

The train carrying 153 passengers from Sydney to Melbourne derailed at Wallan on Thursday on a section of track where the driver had to be navigated by his co-driver, called the pilot.

Under Victorian state rules, the train must travel below 25kmh during a section that requires navigation.

But, although in Victoria, the interstate train was subject to national rules which do not have that restriction. 

A sling on a crane is used to move part of the XPT train that derailed in Wallan North, 45km north of Melbourne

On Sunday, as the clean-up operation began, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union said the crash may have been avoided if that rule was enforced.

RTBU Victoria secretary Luba Grigorovitch told the Sydney Morning Herald: ‘If the ARTC imposed the same speed restrictions under pilot that are applied by MTM and V/Line the incident may have been avoided’.

Speed is one of the factors being investigated, after it was reported the train was supposed to slow to 15km/h as it was diverted through a different part of track near Wallan station.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is looking at the maintenance of the train and railway line as well as signalling data.

Some passengers from the XPT have said it was speeding when it derailed.

Driver: John Kennedy (pictured) from Canberra

Canberra man John Kennedy has been named as the driver of the XPT diesel locomotive.

The 54-year-old died alongside the train’s pilot, a 49-year-old man from Castlemaine in regional Victoria. 

Eleven of the train’s 153 passengers were also injured.

A Sydney man described ‘hanging on for grim death’ as the train came off the tracks.

‘It probably went about 150 metres before it stopped, there were carriages going sideways – pretty horrifying,’ he said.

Passenger Leyon Gray estimated the train was ‘probably doing 80 or 90km/h’ before everyone was thrown out of their seats.

Some passengers also claimed there was an onboard announcement saying the driver was trying to make up for a lost time before the crash. Police would not confirm this.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said the the train came off a section of track awaiting maintenance.

‘Conditions were altered and V/Line drivers rightly refused to traverse this section over the past week,’ secretary Luba Grigorovitch said.

The Victorian Nationals’ deputy leader Steph Ryan raised concerns about the rail line with the state government days before the crash and after another train was derailed further up the line in January.

Mr Kennedy died along with another male pilot on Thursday night when his train crashed on its way to Southern Cross Station in Victoria (pictured) 

Authorities remain at the scene of a fatal derailment of an XPT train north of Melbourne

But Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack was not aware of complaints by drivers about the safety of the section of the track.

‘No authority would let passengers travel on unsafe track,’ he told reporters at the scene.

‘We will ensure that proper answers are found for the bereaved families and making sure these sorts of things don’t happen again.’

It’s expected to take days to clear the tracks, with buses set to replace all Seymour, Shepparton and Albury train services until further notice.

The transport safety bureau will release a preliminary report into the crash in about a month, ahead of a final report in 18 months.

The transport safety bureau will release a preliminary report into the crash in about a month, ahead of a final report in 18 months