<p>The interstate rail line between Melbourne and Perth will remain blocked until at least tomorrow (Tuesday, November 23), following the weekend derailment of a Pacific National freight train.</p> <p>The derailment occurred about 10.10 am on Sunday, when the 1,474-metre-long Pacific National service hauling containers from Melbourne to Perth derailed close to Glenalta station in the Adelaide Hills.</p> <p>Both the interstate standard-gauge and the nearby TransAdelaide suburban broad-gauge track are blocked with derailed wagons.</p> <p>A Pacific National spokesman said the closure of interstate line, managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), had affected 11 of its freight services between Perth and Melbourne.</p> <p>Some services have been cancelled or delayed and other services have been diverted, he said.</p> <p>Sydney-Perth services are not affected.</p> <p>The spokesman said the cause of the derailment has not been established.</p> <p>It is understood that two or three of the five-pack wagons immediately behind the train’s locomotives derailed close to the station, he said.</p> <p>One container even ended up on the platform.</p> <p>"We’re grateful it was on a weekend and there weren’t as many people around at the station," he said.</p> <p>The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and ARTC are investigating the derailment.</p> <p>ARTC said its engineers were on site assessing the damage and the possible cause of the derailment. </p> <br />
