RO-2002-127 Train 526, track warrant overrun, Waitotara, 17 November 2002

On Sunday, 17 November 2002, at about 2353, Train 526, a Palmerston North to New Plymouth express freight service overran its track warrant limit at Waitotara by about 1.5 km. The incident occurred when the locomotive engineer did not identify and stop at the limit of his track warrant authority but continued on into the next section. There was no opposing traffic.

The major contribution factor to the incident was the probability that the locomotive engineer lost concentration and situational awareness, which supported a misperception of the limits of the track warrant he held.

A previous incident involving medical impairment and 6 previous incidents of track warrant overruns were examined.

Safety issues identified included:
· the well-being of the locomotive engineer of Train 526 and his resulting capacity to recognise and respond to track warrant operating procedures
· the use of channel 1 radio calls by locomotive engineers when approaching track warrant stations to remind themselves of the limits of their track warrants.
One safety recommendation was made to the operator.