Zanthus train collision
Encyclopedia
The Zanthus train collision occurred at a crossing loop on the Trans-Australian Railway
between Perth
to Sydney
on 18 August 1999. It is located 739 km (459.2 mi) east northeast of Perth
and 202 km (125.5 mi) east of Kalgoorlie
in Western Australia
, on the Nullarbor Plain
.
The second engineman was waiting at the control panel for the points
for the opposing train to pass through. Out of habit he had the control panel box unlocked and opened. Unfortunately, out of habit, he pressed the button to operate the points at an inappropriate time, and the opposing train was diverted at a speed of about 40 km/h (24.9 mph) into the loop where it could not stop in time to avoid a head-on collision
. The actual speed of impact as recorded by the locomotive data logger on NR 15 was 27 km/h.
to Kalgoorlie
Hospital from the remote Coonana
airstrip, 40 km (24.9 mi) from the crash site. Only two passengers were admitted for overnight observations. Westrail
provided two Prospector
railcars to transfer the remainder of the passengers back to Kalgoorlie.
All nineteen coaches of the Indian Pacific received varying degrees of damage, from minor internal damage to the write-off of luggage/smoking car HM311; some abandoned wrecked carriages are still at the site. At the time, Great Southern Railways
estimated the damage to the coaches to be of the value of A$
5 million dollars. National Rail Corporation
estimated the damage to locomotives NR15 and NR51 at around A$1 million dollars.
The simplified overview of process is:
All traffic then proceeds as directed.
This accident happened because the points were not fully interlocked, and were merely a kind of power-assisted hand lever, with automatic normalisation.
Trans-Australian Railway
The Trans-Australian Railway crosses the Nullarbor Plain of Australia from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia...
between Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 18 August 1999. It is located 739 km (459.2 mi) east northeast of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
and 202 km (125.5 mi) east of Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, on the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
.
Incident
On 18 August 1999 an eastbound freight train was waiting at the departure end of the crossing loop for the westbound Indian Pacific passenger train to pass through.The second engineman was waiting at the control panel for the points
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
for the opposing train to pass through. Out of habit he had the control panel box unlocked and opened. Unfortunately, out of habit, he pressed the button to operate the points at an inappropriate time, and the opposing train was diverted at a speed of about 40 km/h (24.9 mph) into the loop where it could not stop in time to avoid a head-on collision
Head-on collision
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
. The actual speed of impact as recorded by the locomotive data logger on NR 15 was 27 km/h.
Injuries and damage
Twenty-one passengers and crew from the Indian Pacific were airlifted by the Royal Flying Doctor ServiceRoyal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
to Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
Hospital from the remote Coonana
Coonana, Western Australia
Coonana is a small Indigenous Australian community in Western Australia located east of Perth between Kalgoorlie and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia...
airstrip, 40 km (24.9 mi) from the crash site. Only two passengers were admitted for overnight observations. Westrail
Westrail
Westrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
provided two Prospector
Transwa Prospector
The Transwa Prospector is a standard-gauge passenger train operated by Transwa that runs between Perth, Western Australia, and the Goldfields town of Kalgoorlie.-History:...
railcars to transfer the remainder of the passengers back to Kalgoorlie.
All nineteen coaches of the Indian Pacific received varying degrees of damage, from minor internal damage to the write-off of luggage/smoking car HM311; some abandoned wrecked carriages are still at the site. At the time, Great Southern Railways
Great Southern Railway (Australia)
Great Southern Railway , owned by Serco Asia Pacific, is a tourism business and rail transport operator in Australia.GSR operates interstate passenger trains aimed at the tourist market:* The Indian Pacific...
estimated the damage to the coaches to be of the value of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
5 million dollars. National Rail Corporation
National Rail Corporation
The National Rail Corporation was a rail operator in Australia. The Australian Government, New South Wales and Victoria established the National Rail Corporation in 1992...
estimated the damage to locomotives NR15 and NR51 at around A$1 million dollars.
Aftermath
Since the accident, the operation of the points has been altered so that the point indicator lights will not operate until the access process is completed, and this gives all trains time to stop at the red point indicator lights.The simplified overview of process is:
- access box - 120-180 second delay all line points are/changed to red
- door opens
- 60-90 second delay until point control inputs are accepted, points can then be changed.
- close door/seal box, lights are changed to indicate point positions.
All traffic then proceeds as directed.
This accident happened because the points were not fully interlocked, and were merely a kind of power-assisted hand lever, with automatic normalisation.