Hines Hill train collision
Encyclopedia
The Hines Hill train collision occurred on the Eastern Goldfields Railway
on 14 January 1996 at Hines Hill, Western Australia
. Two trains entered a crossing loop simultaneously in opposing directions, although signals at the exit from the crossing loop were correctly showing red for stop.
's 5SP5 intermodal Sydney to Perth freighter, and Westrail
's 7025 Perth to Kalgoorlie
freighter.
The National Rail train in one direction misjudged the stop, and went past the red signal, hitting the last wagons of the Westrail train. Unfortunately, these wagons were tankers containing diesel which burst into flames, destroying the train data recorders that might have explained what speed the train was travelling at. The driver and a teenage guest passenger were killed. National Rail locomotives AN10 and DL37 were written off due to being damaged beyond repair.
The accident happened at night, and there were no distance boards which might have helped the driver of the NR train judge the distance to the stop signal showing red.
The accident illustrates the hazard of having crossing loops only just long enough to hold the two trains. If the loop had been longer, the safety distance from the red departure signal to the fouling point with the arriving train would have been larger and the other train would have cleared the single line section so avoiding the collision by some vital seconds.
The extra distance is to accommodate longer trains & has nothing to do with faster crossings as have other crossing loops on the Avon to Kalgoorlie Line
(ATP), such as the Eurobalise system. Beacons at the signals together with other intermediate beacons approaching signals would have regulated the speed of the trains to a safer level.
Eastern Goldfields Railway
The Eastern Goldfields Railway was built in the 1880s to connect Perth, Western Australia with the rich goldfields at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. The narrow gauge Eastern Railway line already connected Perth with Northam, and the EGR extended this line through semi-desert to the goldfields...
on 14 January 1996 at Hines Hill, Western Australia
Hines Hill, Western Australia
Hines Hill is a town located 240 km east of Perth, between the towns of Merredin and Doodlakine in Western Australia. The town is situated on the Great Eastern Highway and also on the edge of Lake Baandee...
. Two trains entered a crossing loop simultaneously in opposing directions, although signals at the exit from the crossing loop were correctly showing red for stop.
Overview
The trains involved were National Rail CorporationNational Rail Corporation
The National Rail Corporation was a rail operator in Australia. The Australian Government, New South Wales and Victoria established the National Rail Corporation in 1992...
's 5SP5 intermodal Sydney to Perth freighter, and Westrail
Westrail
Westrail was the name of Western Australia’s public rail service between 1975 and 2000.It had its origins in 1877 as the Department of Works and Railways. This became Western Australian Government Railways in 1890 — a name that persisted for almost a century...
's 7025 Perth to Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
freighter.
The National Rail train in one direction misjudged the stop, and went past the red signal, hitting the last wagons of the Westrail train. Unfortunately, these wagons were tankers containing diesel which burst into flames, destroying the train data recorders that might have explained what speed the train was travelling at. The driver and a teenage guest passenger were killed. National Rail locomotives AN10 and DL37 were written off due to being damaged beyond repair.
The accident happened at night, and there were no distance boards which might have helped the driver of the NR train judge the distance to the stop signal showing red.
Aftermath
The signalling was later altered to prevent trains entering the crossing loop simultaneously.The accident illustrates the hazard of having crossing loops only just long enough to hold the two trains. If the loop had been longer, the safety distance from the red departure signal to the fouling point with the arriving train would have been larger and the other train would have cleared the single line section so avoiding the collision by some vital seconds.
Loop lengthening
Since the accident, the crossing loop at Hines Hill has been lengthened for longer 1,800 m trains. The loop is now 2,304 m long, which is considerably longer than the normal longest train. The extra distance provides both a safety margin and faster crosses, since a train entering the loop can clear the single line at a higher speed. It is not known if the simultaneous arrival signalling has been restored.The extra distance is to accommodate longer trains & has nothing to do with faster crossings as have other crossing loops on the Avon to Kalgoorlie Line
Automatic Train Protection
This accident would have been prevented if the station had been fitted with Automatic Train ProtectionAutomatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...
(ATP), such as the Eurobalise system. Beacons at the signals together with other intermediate beacons approaching signals would have regulated the speed of the trains to a safer level.