This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/nov/05/runaway-bhp-train-derailed-no-driver-port-hedland-western-australia

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Runaway BHP train derailed after travelling 92km with no driver BHP suspends WA rail operations after train travels 92km with no driver
(about 5 hours later)
A runaway 2km-long train loaded with iron ore has been forcibly derailed after it escaped from its driver in the West Australian outback. BHP has suspended all rail operations in Western Australia after a runaway train laden with iron ore travelled 92km with no one on board before it was deliberately derailed.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the 268-wagon train travelled for 92km through the Pilbara region of WA in the early hours of Monday before it was forced off the tracks some 119km from Port Hedland. The driver of the 2km-long BHP-operated train stepped out of the locomotive early on Monday to inspect an issue with one of its 268 wagons and it took off without him.
It said the train had “commenced to run away” after the driver left the locomotive to “inspect an issue with a wagon”. It hurtled along the company’s Newman to Port Hedland line in the remote Pilbara region for about 50 minutes until it was deliberately derailed at a set of points near Turner, about 120km south of the port town.
On Monday, BHP the world’s biggest miner suspended all Western Australian iron ore rail operations while an investigation was under way, the Australian newspaper reported, without citing a source. The action was taken by a remote control centre more than 1,500km away in Perth.
“A Western Australia iron ore train has been derailed near Turner River, en route to Port Hedland this morning,” BHP said. “No one has been injured. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation.” No one was injured.
The damage to the vehicle was substantial, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said damage to the train was substantial and it is estimated about 1.5km of track was damaged.
“At approximately 0440 on 5 November 2018, the driver of a loaded ore train consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons stopped at the 211km point. The driver alighted from the locomotive to inspect an issue with a wagon,” it said in a report. “We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation,” a BHP spokeswoman said in a statement. “Recovery operations are under way.”
“With no one on board, the train travelled for 92km until about 0505, when the train was deliberately derailed at a set of points operated by the control centre, about 119km from Port Hedland.” BHP’s WA rail operations are expected to resume in about a week.
It is not known how fast the train was travelling at the time of derailment although if the statement is accurate it would have been travelling close to 200km per hour. The company did not report the matter to the Australian stock exchange as it is not expected to have a material impact on finances.
BHP has large iron ore stockpiles at port, so it is unlikely any scheduled shipments will be missed.
The ATSB is investigating the incident and expects its report will be complete in the second quarter of 2019.
The WA premier, Mark McGowan, said he had not been briefed on what happened but it would have been very concerning for everyone involved.
“Extraordinary measures obviously had to be used,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “I’m sure that there will be a full review undertaken by BHP and I’ll consult about what role the state might have in that.”
The transport minister, Rita Saffioti, said the National Rail Safety Regulator had been informed and was investigating.
Western AustraliaWestern Australia
BHPBHP
MiningMining
Rail transportRail transport
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content