Empty passenger Train 2100, train parting and improper door opening, Ranui, 1 April 2005
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
05-115
On Friday 1 April 2005, Train 2100 was a scheduled empty passenger service being positioned to Waitakere to start passenger operations for the day. At 0627, soon after the train had passed through Ranui station, the coupling between the locomotive and the guard’s van parted. As a result of the parting, the automatic brake system lost all air pressure and brought the train to a stop.
Two cable connections were severed and loose wiring short-circuited the electrical door control trainline, resulting in the doors on the passenger cars opening and closing while the train was coming to a stop.
The safety issues identified included:
• the door opening/closing circuitry
• the return of a rail vehicle to passenger train service with out-of-code drawgear height.
One safety recommendation has been made to the Chief Executive of Toll NZ Consolidated Limited to address these issues.
Two cable connections were severed and loose wiring short-circuited the electrical door control trainline, resulting in the doors on the passenger cars opening and closing while the train was coming to a stop.
The safety issues identified included:
• the door opening/closing circuitry
• the return of a rail vehicle to passenger train service with out-of-code drawgear height.
One safety recommendation has been made to the Chief Executive of Toll NZ Consolidated Limited to address these issues.
Location
between Ranui and Swanson (-36.867355,174.596669) [may be approximate]