On Saturday 2 October 2004, at about 1015, an exhaust outlet at the top of a bulldozer being conveyed on a road trailer collided with the underside and damaged rail over road bridge No.98, located at 117.95 km on the Wairarapa Line, about 9 km south of Eketahuna.
A nearby farmer who had heard the collision reported details of the damage to train control. The person sent to inspect the damaged bridge inadvertently inspected 2 undamaged bridges located nearby before informing train control the track was safe and clear for traffic.
Two days later on Monday 4 October, another farmer contacted Transfield Services directly to advise of the unsafe condition of the bridge. The bridge was closed to rail traffic and only re-opened after major repairs had been completed.
Safety issues identified included:
- the movement of an over-dimension road load without surveying clearances on the intended route
- the special inspection process of rail over road bridges
One safety recommendation has been made to the Chief Executive of New Zealand Railways to address these issues.
