Express passenger train 200, passed conditional stop board without authority, Levin, 24 November 1999
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
99-125
At approximately 1010 hours on Wednesday 24 November 1999, the Wellington to Auckland Overlander passenger express, Train 200, proceeded past a conditional stop board between Ohau and Levin without authority. Some 5 kilometres later Train 200 unexpectedly met a track maintenance gang, which had just cleared the track to allow the passage of the train. There were no injuries.
The safety issues identified were:
• the incomplete radio procedures for communication between locomotive engineers and track gangs working under conditional stop board protection
• the locomotive engineer passing the conditional stop board without authority
• the availability of an expired information bulletin
• the decision by the ganger in charge of the work to not arrange for fixed signals controlling entry of trains into the work area to be held at Stop
• the need for better understanding by train control officers and track gangers of responsibility for control of track and better communication.
Five safety recommendations were made to the operator.
The safety issues identified were:
• the incomplete radio procedures for communication between locomotive engineers and track gangs working under conditional stop board protection
• the locomotive engineer passing the conditional stop board without authority
• the availability of an expired information bulletin
• the decision by the ganger in charge of the work to not arrange for fixed signals controlling entry of trains into the work area to be held at Stop
• the need for better understanding by train control officers and track gangers of responsibility for control of track and better communication.
Five safety recommendations were made to the operator.
Location
between Ohau and Levin (-40.637085,175.272001) [may be approximate]