Two trains COLLIDE on Christmas Eve on the outskirts of Perth – leaving one driver dead

A Perth driver has died after his freight train rear-ended a stationary grain train in Western Australia.

The crash happened near Jumperkine Station in the Walyunga National Park about 40 kilometres east of Perth at around 2am on Christmas Eve, with the impact lifting one of the grain train carriages off the rails.

The freight train had travelled from Melbourne before the crash, which shut down the major freight route which links Western Australia to the eastern states.

‘It’s been many, many years since we’ve had anything like this,’ Craig McKinley from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union told 9News.  

‘The RTBU would expect to be involved and to be fully briefed as it unfolds so we can make sure that something like this never happens again.’

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Arc Infrastructure are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

‘The freight train locomotive cabin was substantially damaged and the driver fatally injured,’ the ATSB said on Tuesday.

‘The ATSB will examine the rolling stock and track infrastructure layout, interview personnel, analyse the train data logger and obtain relevant documentation for analysis.

The freight train had traveled from Melbourne before the crash, which shut down the major freight route which links Western Australia to the eastern states

‘Should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify those affected and seek safety action to address the issue.’

The freight train was operated by Pacific National, while the grain train was operated by Watco.

The WA Police Force is also investigating the collision and will prepare a report for the coroner.

The impact of the crash lifted one of the grain train carriages off the rail line