The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has suspended the accreditation of Holdco Holdings, trading as Southern Shorthaul Railroad (SSR).
The action has been taken based on a “determination that there is, or would be, an immediate or serious risk to safety unless Holdco’s accreditation was suspended”, ONRSR said.
ONRSR has exercised its powers under the Rail Safety National Law to carry out the suspension.
It follows a serious incident which took place at Berrima in New South Wales over the weekend, in which several wagons rolled away and derailed at a level crossing on a public road. There were no injuries as a result of the incident.
ONRSR is carrying out an investigation.
The derailment at Berrima is the latest in a series of safety incidents involving SSR, which are subject to ONRSR’s regulatory oversight.
“ONRSR accredits rail transport operators under the Rail Safety National Law on the basis that they demonstrate the competence and capacity to manage risks to safety associated with their railway operations,” ONRSR said.
“ONRSR’s priority is to ensure that risks to the safety of those in the rail industry and members of the public are effectively managed. Understanding the potential impact, the decision to suspend Holdco’s accreditation has not been taken lightly.”
ONRSR added that rail transport operators that interact with Holdco have been notified so they can manage impacts to their operations, and the regulator will “continue to work with Holdco” in relation to its accreditation status.
The Australian Rail Transport Safety Bureau said investigations are underway into two separate runaway incidents in New South Wales earlier this year involving SSR trains – at Clyde in March, and at Marulan South in May.
On March 12, a SSR train was uncoupled during shunting movements at Clyde. Following this, one locomotive and five cement wagons rolled away through a set of points and collided with a Pacific National locomotive. Several wagons were derailed and all rolling stock sustained some level of damage. There were no injuries.
On May 26, two SSR locomotives were uncoupled during a runaround movement at Marulan South. During this process, two locomotives rolled away whilst the crew were outside the cab. A crew member boarded the locomotives whilst in motion, bringing them to a stand. There were no injuries or damage sustained.
Rail Express has contacted SSR for comment.
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