Tangara Commuter Train Wrecked

Sydney, 9 June 1998: A train of Sydney's "City Rail" commuter network was derailed at about 4.30am while on its way to start service.

The eight carriage train, consisting of two Tangara electric multiple units was travelling from Hornsby to Strathfield, where it was to commence service on a commuter train. It was approaching Concord West station at about 110km/h through a residential district when the first carriage left the rails. It rolled over onto its side and came to rest facing in the opposite direction. The third and fourth carriages ended-up on the road running parallel with the railway. The driver and the guard were both injured in the accident. There were no pasengers in the train at the time.

A spokesman for the State Rail Authority (SRA) said that the train was entering a siding and the appropriate speed would have been 25km/h. It is unclear why the train was travelling so fast. The driver may have misread the signals.

Concerns have been growing about the safety of the railway system but both the SRA and the RAC (Rail Access Corporation) insist that the accident was not caused through lack of maintenance.

Poor maintenance was the cause of a crash in Sydney in 1977. The accident which occurred at Granville and killed 83 people was blamed on lack of track maintenance.