The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating how a pair of shipping containers apparently fell off a freight train between Wangaratta and Springhurst, in Victoria.
It’s believed that on the night of Friday, July 24, a pair of shipping containers fell off train 6MC2, travelling from Melbourne to Ettamogah, NSW.
The issue was not discovered until around 4.30am the following day, July 25, when the driver of train 3PW4 reported a shipping container laying next to, but clear of the east track between Wangaratta and Springhurst.
Upon the driver’s warning, the ARTC warned the following train – an XPT passenger service travelling from Sydney to Melbourne – to proceed with caution.
At around 4.47am the driver of the passenger train confirmed the details and location of the container with the ARTC network control centre at Junee.
The ARTC arranged to have the track inspected, and the inspector arrived on site and discovered a second shipping container near the track.
Both containers were clear of the track and normal train running resumed, and the ARTC established the containers had fallen from train 6MC2 the previous night.
The ATSB has initiated an investigation into the incident, which it is classing as a ‘loading irregularity’ issue. There were no injuries reported, but minor damage was reported to the train/cargo.
The investigation is ongoing, with completion expected for March 2016.