Truck driver ignored stop sign in Ghan crash

<p>A road train that was struck by The Ghan passenger train at the Ban Ban Springs level crossing in 2006 ignored a stop sign and crossed the tracks at 50 km&#47h, a report has found.</p> <p>The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation into the December 12 incident also found that it was common practice for drivers at the crossing, 170 km southeast of Darwin, to drive through the intersection without stopping.</p> <p>The Ghan was travelling at 101 km&#47h when it struck just behind the road train’s prime mover, derailing both locomotives, a wagon and nine passenger carriages.</p> <p>The truck driver and a train passenger needed hospital treatment, while many of the other 64 passengers and 17 staff received minor injuries, the ATSB said.</p> <p>The level crossing is notorious for its short sighting distances, as the road intersects with the tracks at an acute angle and with visual obstructions.</p> <p>The ATSB acknowledged concerns about the adequacy of the crossing, but also factored in the truck driver’s hearing loss.</p> <p>The train driver had sounded the locomotive’s horn three times and the headlight was on high beam, the ATSB said.</p> <p>The road train had used the level crossing about 30 times a day for the previous month and the driver said he had only seen four trains in that time.</p> <p>Other drivers were known to slow, rather than stop, when they came to the crossing. </p> <br />