ATSB and OTSI probe into XPT passenger train speeding incident north of Wagga at Harefield

The incident happened when an ST24 scheduled XPT service was travelling though Harefield, about 20 kilometres north of Wagga at 1.22pm on June 29, having earlier left Melbourne on the way to Sydney.

The Office of Transport Safety Investigations is leading the investigation on behalf of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

"A speed restriction was not applied following welding repairs which allowed passenger train ST24 to traverse a section of track at 115 kilometres per hour when a 40 kilometre per hour speed restriction should have been in place," an ATSB preliminary investigation summary stated.

"There was no damage or injury as a result ... OTSI transport safety investigators have commenced collecting relevant evidence and statements from involved parties."

An ATSB spokesperson said the incident was not related to a freight train derailment at Bomen in April that overturned several carriages and left the drivers with minor injuries.

In other news

"The ATSB and OTSI can confirm the 29 June overspeed incident took place at Harefield, which is approximately nine kilometres away from the April 15 derailment incident, and so is unrelated to that occurrence," the spokesperson said.

"While it is too early to discuss the direction and possible findings of the investigation, the ATSB notes that should any critical safety issues be identified at any stage during the course of the investigation, the ATSB will immediately notify relevant parties so appropriate safety action can be taken."

The ATSB spokesperson did not reveal how many passengers were aboard the XPT when the speeding incident took place, but that information will be detailed in the investigation's final report.

The ATSB expects to complete the investigation between October and December.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: