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.
