Track workers sprint from tunnel as train bears down

Two track workers had to sprint from a Wellington tunnel with a passenger train bearing down on them, it has been revealed. Details of the May, 2023 incident were released by Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) for the first time yesterday as it released its annual watch list – the standing commission of inquiry’s list of safety alerts. It shows that two track workers were on the Johnsonville train line without permission on May 4 and, before entering the tunnel called train control to say they wanted to walk through the tunnel, between Wadestown and Crofton Downs. The train controller put in some protection for them but the red stop sign was in the wrong place and a passenger train entered the tunnel where the workers were. With just a cell phone torch, the surprised workers ran to safety and got out with about five seconds to spare. Chief accident investigator Naveen Kazhuppakalam said the train was travelling at “line speed”. “The train workers had to break into a run to make it to safety,” he said. They made it to safety outside the tunnel, where on-board camera footage recorded the pair. There would have been “limited space” to the side of the tunnel as the train passed through, he said. The incident was a result of miscommunication between the workers and train controller, meaning they ended up being recorded on the wrong part of the line, TAIC found. KiwiRail had since changed safety procedures to have a preference for radio calls over phone with train control, improved safety systems, trialling grab bags to ensure track workers have correct documents and equipment, reviewing call out priorities, and developing an incident management standard, TAIC said.