This investigation, undertaken by OTSI under a Collaboration Agreement with the ATSB, was discontinued.
What happened
At 0415 Eastern Standard Time on 24 August 2020, a Pacific National containerised waste train, 1221, travelling from Clyde to Tarago, came to a stand near Lake Bathurst (248.400 km). Upon inspection, the train crew reported that the train had derailed the trailing wheels of the lead bogie of the 34th wagon. The derailed wagon, RQEY1962D, suffered damage to the lead bogie and frame. The train had travelled approximately 2.7 km in a derailed state which resulted in damage to track infrastructure. There were no reported injuries to staff or members of the public.
John Holland Rail was the rail infrastructure manager for the line.
Discontinuation
The ATSB considered the contributing factors to the derailment were a result of a failed bearing. The reasons for that failure were unable to be conclusively determined.
Due to the nature of the failure and the proposed safety actions initiated by the operator, OTSI and the ATSB considered it was unlikely that further investigation would identify any systemic safety issues or further important safety lessons for the enhancement of transport safety.
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