Executive summary
On Thursday 27 October 2005 at about 1410, mainline shunting service Train M52 passed through a protected worksite between Te Rapa and Horotiu on the Up Main line of the North Island Main Trunk without authority from the protector of the worksite.
The site protector was alerted to the imminent arrival of the train and cleared the track before the train arrived.
There were no injuries or equipment damage.
Safety issues included:
• the Conditional Stop Protection rules
• the identification of the correct stopping position when a train approaches a switchlocked controlled set of points.
Two safety recommendations were made to the Chief Executive of ONTRACK to address these issues
Related Recommendations
amend Rule 905, Compulsory Stop Protection, to allow the site protector to give authority to the driver of a rail vehicle to pass the compulsory STOP board and proceed to a location short of the worksite. Where circumstances change, the site protector must be contacted to authorise all subsequent rail vehicle movements within the work area.
site a limit marker post or take other such measures to ensure the locomotive engineer of a train shunting Te Rapa Public Siding from the Up Main line of the North Island Main Trunk line stops his train at a specified location that permits the switchlock control mechanism at 548.14 km to be unlocked.