Several passengers have been injured in a crash between a truck and a V/Line passenger train at Kilmany, near Sale, in Victoria’s east.
Police say the truck was towing an excavator when it and the train collided at 10:10am on Tuesday.
Mallacoota retiree Phillipa Hamilton was sitting in the train’s front carriage on the way to Bairnsdale when the truck’s trailer pierced the side of the carriage, dislodging her seat and throwing her a metre into the air.
“I was sitting in my seat having a coffee and saw a trailer go in front of the train and thought ‘shit’, something’s going to happen,” Ms Hamilton said.
“The next minute it punched through the wall beside me, the seat was broken and I was thrown up in the air and all I ended up with was a sore arm.
“My seat was completely ripped off.”
She said a group of women in the same area of the train also sustained injuries to their hips, legs and heads.
Anne Larkins was travelling through East Gippsland en route to New South Wales.
“It could have been so much worse,” Ms Larkins said.
“After the actual impact, I saw something go flying past the window which I assume was the actual trailer flying through the air and when I’ve seen the size of it, all I can say is we’re very lucky.”
About 100 evacuated passengers stood outside the train for paramedics to assess them.
Buses have taken the passengers onto Sale and Bairnsdale.
Linda Love, who was in the back of the train, said she heard a “bump”.
She was on the last leg of her journey to Bairnsdale after an overnight flight from Perth.
“The staff got on the microphone and told us they would be coming to check us all so the priority seemed to be us passengers, which was good,” Ms Love said.
Police said the train drivers escaped uninjured and the investigation into the cause of the crash would continue.
A V/Line spokesperson said the National Rail Safety Regulator and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified about the accident.
“We thank passengers for their patience while we work to get them to their destination as quickly and safely as possible following an incident at a crossing near Kilmany,” the spokesperson said.
“Safety is our priority and we will work with the relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.”
This is a very serious incident and we are very lucky this wasn’t a worse outcome. Vline velocity trains are not designed for long distance. Velocity train are dangerous and overcrowding of carriages will only lead to certain death of passengers in future level crossing accidents.
yes could have been a lot lot worse for the passengers and wonder if loco hauled trains are actually safer for passengers than these tin cans?
Questions should be asked:
Did they include side seal beam and end seal support to strengthen the carraige framework underneath?
As I understand older trains had double side seal beam and end seal beams to reforce the carraige against impact for such incidents….
But being made of heavier materials this seems not applicable for trains design for higher speed and less fuel consumption….
Plus who approved this design to fit for purpose for long duration travel routes when a good amount of crossing are unprotected..
But even with protection heavy big trucks may still damage trains severely old or new….
Careless drivers should lose their licence
Was only a matter of time before people were seriously injured on long distance vlocity trains not designed for use on these country networks. How could vline think that the vlocity trains we run on our country Network are suitable on long distance Services. They are actually an unsafe and uncomfortable way to move passengers around. They are clearly delusional Vline for taking what anybody would regard as a poor set of decision-making processes leading to the wholesale use of Vlocity short distance trains are much longer Rail services.
I was concerned about this with the newer trains…..
But the management dismissed all feed back relating with these newer train not fit for longer distance duration operations.
This may warrant a serious investigation from the rail safety regulators if the road user is cleared of wrong doing…..
Who’s going be held accountable for these poorly thought out decisions?
Maybe the CEO and their managment who pushed so hard for the older train to get withdrawn without a fit purpose train tested and certified for Vic Railway conditions for more 3-4 duration trips and relied heavily a one size fit all concept for all travelling conditions Interurban and Regional Inter City Services!!!