TasRail’s Western line in north-west Tasmania has been closed after ten wagons came off the tracks following a freight train derailment near Kimberley, Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
A total of two locomotives and a further 18 wagons remained on the track. However, Tasmania’s state-owned rail company TasRail said no injuries were reported in the accident.
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The incident follows after TasRail installed an $11m Advanced Network Train Control System (ANCS) across the Tasmanian Rail Freight Network to ensure better safety for both rail movements and track maintenance activities.
TasRail chief executive Damien White: "The most likely cause of the derailment appears to be track-related.
"Our track engineers will carry out further inspections once the track is cleared and we will download and review all available train data over coming days."
The operator said that an investigation to find the cause of the derailment is underway and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator have been notified about it.
The freight transports on the TasRail’s Western line in Tasmania’s north-west have been delayed after the accident, ABC Online reported.
In November last year, a southbound freight train derailed near Colebrook, in which two locomotives and 11 of the wagons were derailed.
Commenting on the present accident, White said that he is sure that the train speed was not a factor in the incident.
He said: "I am also confident that TasRail’s new Advanced Network Control System operated as expected.
"This area of the network had not yet been upgraded but was scheduled for track re-sleepering in coming months. A temporary speed restriction had been applied as a precaution, limiting train speeds to 20km/h."
A number of work crews are assigned for clearance and repair of approximately 100m of track.
