BOOM FAIL SHOCK
No warning as freight train roars through crossing Workers forced to man three intersections
A FREIGHT train raced through a North Geelong intersection without warning after boom gates failed, it has been revealed.
The potentially deadly safety failure occurred at the crossing on Thompson Rd, North Geelong, on January 8.
Authorities refused to say what time of day the incident took place, but said crossings in Geelong’s north would be manned for at least the next week.
The Addy observed attendants carrying stop/go signs at three crossings yesterday.
A FREIGHT train went through a North Geelong intersection without warning after boom gates failed, it has been revealed.
The potentially deadly safety failure happened at the crossing on Thompson Rd, North Geelong, on January 8.
VicTrack, which manages the infrastructure, refused to provide further details of what time of day the incident took place, but said crossings in Geelong’s north will be manned for at least the next week.
A spokeswoman for VicTrack, which has been conducting the upgrade work, said no vehicles or pedestrians were in the vicinity at the time of the incident.
Attendants have been in place at crossings on Thompson Rd and Douro St, North Geelong, and Anakie Rd, Bell Post Hill, since the incident as an additional safety precaution, but the spokeswoman insisted that the level crossings were now operating safely.
Traffic is being restricted to one lane and slowed to 40km/h at each crossing as part of the safety measures.
“Manual attendants are in place as an additional safety precaution for the remainder of the upgrade works to ensure the safe operation of the crossing,” a State Government spokeswoman said.
VicTrack is currently upgrading the freight rail connection between the main Geelong and Melbourne line to the Port of Geelong.
“This involves automating a manually-operated railway junction and duplicating a sec- tion of track to improve the capacity and efficiency of rail freight movements into the Port of Geelong,” the spokeswoman said.
“Immediately following the incident, works were suspended and the fault was addressed.”
The fault related to a $5.1 million upgrade the North Geelong ‘C’ signal box from manual to automatic sequencing.
The site was one of the last remaining mechanical interlockings in Geelong, where the signaller has to pull a sequence of levers to change the signals and move the pointwork, which allows trains to transition from one track to another.
The only remaining mechanical signalling system in the city is at South Geelong.
The upgrade is to be completed by the end of the month.