Rail safety investigations & reports
Level crossing collision between passenger train and semi-trailer near Lake Charm, Victoria on 12 February 2013
RO-2013-008
Summary
What happened
At about 1320 on 12 February 2013, the 1250 Swan Hill to Melbourne passenger train collided with the rear corner of a semi-trailer on the B. McCann Road level crossing near Lake Charm, in northern Victoria. The semi-trailer was travelling towards the Murray Valley Highway having taken on a load of gypsum at a nearby mine.
As a result of the collision there were minor injuries to one train passenger and to the drivers of the train and truck. The truck’s trailer was destroyed and there was minor damage to the front of the locomotive.
What the ATSB found
The ATSB found that the truck driver’s view of the track was restricted due to the acute road-to-rail interface angle and the resulting limited opportunity to observe the train through the truck cabin’s passenger-side window. When the truck driver stopped to look for trains, his view along the track to the north was probably no more than 220 m and insufficient to observe the approaching train.
An embankment in the crossing’s northwest quadrant also affected sighting and vegetation either side of the road approach meant that the installed give-way protection was inconsistent with the available sighting distances.
In the three years prior to the incident, the risk profile of the crossing had changed significantly due to a large increase in truck movements associated with a greater demand for gypsum from the mine. The safety interface management of the crossing by V/Line and the Gannawarra Shire did not identify this changing risk profile and did not involve consultation with a key stakeholder, the mine owner.
What's been done as a result
The operator of the gypsum mine has undertaken to re-align the road approaches to the crossing to address the acute road-to-rail interface angle, and to reduce the incline of the road on the approaches.
Safety message
This incident highlights the need for rail and road authorities to be proactive in addressing identified sighting deficiencies at level crossings and to monitor the risk profile of crossings.
The occurrence also highlights the need to involve all key stakeholders in road-rail interface safety management processes.
Safety Issues
Sighting restrictions due to road-to-rail angle
For eastbound road users approaching the B. McCann Road level crossing along the left-side of the road, the view to the track was restricted due to the acute road-to-rail interface. This was particularly problematic for trucks with the viewing opportunity to the left limited to the cab’s passenger-side window.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-01 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Users of B. McCann Road level crossing |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
Rail operator inaction to address identified sighting issues
V/Line did not adequately address level crossing sighting issues at B. McCann Road acknowledged by the rail operator in 2009.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-02 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Users of level crossings in Victoria |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
Shire inaction to address identified sighting issues
Gannawarra Shire did not adequately address level crossing sighting issues at B. McCann Road acknowledged by the Shire in 2009.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-03 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Users of level crossings in Gannawarra Shire |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
Road incline on approach to level crossing
The road incline on the west-side approach to the crossing increased the time required for loaded trucks to transit the crossing.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-04 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Users of B. McCann Road level crossing |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
Crossing protection inconsistent with available sighting
The give-way protection installed at the crossing was inconsistent with the available sighting distances on both approaches to the crossing. Sighting was affected by vegetation, embankments formed by a rail cutting and the curved road approaches.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-05 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Users of B. McCann Road level crossing |
| Status: | Partially addressed |
Level crossing stakeholder consultation
The level crossing safety coordination processes did not involve a key stakeholder, the gypsum mine owner, who had knowledge of the changing traffic profile. The mine owner was aware of the increasing numbers of heavy vehicles using B. McCann Road since 2010 and the associated changing risk profile of the level crossing.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-06 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Stakeholders associated with level crossings |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
ALCAM crossing assessment processes
When the crossing was last surveyed under the ALCAM program, the measurement of the road angle resulted in an overestimation of the acute road-to-rail interface angle. The implication of overestimating the acute interface angle is that sighting deficiencies may be underestimated or not identified.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-07 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Stakeholders associated with risk assessment of level crossings |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
Inconsistency between permitted and published line speed
There existed an inconsistency between the track speed used for crossing assessment and permitted train speeds. The ALCAM process used a train speed equal to the track line speed, whereas V/Line systems for evaluating driver behaviour permitted an exceedence of line speed by up to 10 km/h for short distances.
| Issue number: | RO-2013-008-SI-08 |
|---|---|
| Who it affects: | Stakeholders associated with risk assessment of level crossings |
| Status: | Adequately addressed |
General details
| Date: | 12 February 2013 | Investigation status: | Completed | ||
| Time: | 1320 EDT | Investigation level: | Systemic - click for an explanation of investigation levels | ||
| Location (show map): | near Lake Charm | ||||
| State: | Victoria | ||||
| Release date: | 07 October 2014 | Occurrence category: | Accident | ||
| Report status: | Final | Highest injury level: | Minor |
Train details
| Train registration | 8042 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of operation | Passenger | |
| Sector | Passenger - regional | |
| Damage to train | Minor | |
| Departure point | Swan Hill, Vic | |
| Destination | Melbourne, Vic |