‘Masterclass on how not to run an incident response’: Runcorn train crash delays passengers
Rail service on the Gold Coast and Beenleigh lines was brought to a halt after a collision between a truck and a train bound for Brisbane carrying about 300 passengers on Thursday morning.
Emergency services were called about 6.55am to the Bonemill Road level crossing, near Runcorn station, after reports a Beenleigh line train clipped a truck.
The scene at Runcorn after the train and truck crash on Thursday morning. Credit: Nine
Paramedics assessed the truck driver and passengers onboard the train, with no injuries reported.
One passenger described hearing a “loud bang” while waiting for their train at Fruitgrove Station, about 750 metres from the collision site.
Queensland Rail said it was investigating how the truck came to be positioned on the level crossing.
A spokesperson for Queensland Rail confirmed everything at all stations and the Bonemill Road level crossing was “operating as it should be”, including boom gates blocking traffic access across the tracks, and said the organisation responded swiftly to the incident.
Passengers were kept onboard the train until just before 8am, when they were moved onto buses to continue their journey.
One passenger described it as a “masterclass on how not to run an incident response”.
“Got off train at Kuraby, not [sic] directions or comms from rail for over an hour. Buses start arriving then we’re told trains will be back again so buses are cancelled.
“Should have been a mixed modal response given the buses were already pulling up.”
Another passenger said they saw “two fire trucks and a police motorcycle passing Fruitgrove Station towards Runcorn just before a [Queensland Rail] operator came out to advise us of the hour’s delay”.
Services travelling in both directions resumed between Kuraby and Altandi about 9.30 am, although delays of up to 30 minutes continued throughout the morning.
A review of level crossing collisions involving trains and heavy road vehicles by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau published last year found collisions primarily resulted from level crossing warnings or the presence of trains not being detected at all or in time.
The review also found drivers did not always detect the presence of a train in “passively controlled level crossings”, with the study demonstrating an overall potential for driver errors at level crossings.
Rail, Tram and Bus Union Queensland branch secretary Peter Allen expressed concern for everyone involved in the crash and called for all level crossings to be removed.
“Our thoughts are with the train crew on board the train and across the network who have been involved in or witnessed the collision as well as the occupants of the vehicle,” he said.
“Thankfully none of the train crew were injured but at least four passengers were.
“The reality is, that the underlying problem is still not being addressed by all levels of government. The best way to keep our community safe at level crossings is to remove them completely.”
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