KiwiRail has been advised by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) to "fix problems with its systems and training" in response to foul weather after a log train derailed during a storm in the Bay of Plenty last year.
A KiwiRail freight train with 39 wagons was travelling from Kawerau to Tauranga on the East Coast Main Trunk line after heavy rain with flooding when it derailed near Te Puke on January 29, 2023.
The train was travelling at about 60km/h along a section of track with floodwater crossing it when the emergency brake was automatically activated, forcing the locomotive to stop around 4.30am, TAIC said in its report, released today.
The crew on board the train disembarked to investigate the cause behind the sudden stop, during which they found that just five of the 39 wagons were behind the locomotive.
"Of the five wagons behind the locomotive, four had uncoupled. It was later discovered that of those 34 wagons, 11 had derailed approximately 100 metres down the track," the report read.
The crew contacted Train Control before moving the locomotive and one remaining wagon to higher ground.
TAIC chief investigator of accidents Naveen Kozhuppakalam said the incident occurred due to heavy rain and floodwater which overwhelmed the drainage system under and around the rail corridor.
"At the accident site, water levels rose about 3.5 metres and washed out the stone and gravel support for the tracks. The fully laden train passed over the unsupported tracks, pushed the rails out of shape, wagon wheels lost contact with rails, and the wagons derailed," he said.
Kozhuppakalam added that the train had been "cleared to travel on this section of track, but it shouldn't have been".
"The previous day, the same train crew told Train Control that they saw high water at what became the accident site, but they did so unclearly and the track inspector inspected the wrong location.
"To avoid similar accidents in future across New Zealand, a lot of elements need to come together. KiwiRail should have Triggered Action Response Plans in place. And staff should be adequately trained to identify when and where parts of the rail corridor are vulnerable — like this one, which was flood prone and there was reported high water after forecast rainfall.
"If the right plan is in place and staff are trained and correctly equipped, then proactive rather than reactive track inspections or closures are more likely."
The freight transport company was also reminded to "have good awareness about how well third parties — landowners, councils and the like — are maintaining waterways that they own in the rail corridor", Kozhuppakalam said.
"There's more risk of flooding if third parties don't adequately maintain their streams and culverts. So KiwiRail needs to satisfy itself that all those waterways, have effective and up-to-date maintenance programmes."
Adverse weather response system 'not fit for purpose'
In its report, TAIC identified three key safety issues at KiwiRail, including that its adverse weather response system was "not fit for purpose" and "inconsistent throughout New Zealand's rail network, increasing the risk of a rail accident occurring".
It also found that the training provided to rail personnel on the procedures for reporting and receiving unusual weather condition information was "inadequate", and it "did not have adequate awareness of the maintenance of third-party waterways within the rail corridor, including culverts".
It made a number of recommendations, including that KiwiRail review its adverse weather response system and processes "to ensure they are effective in maintaining a safe rail network"; "place greater emphasis on training rail personnel in reporting unusual weather conditions"; and "satisfy itself that all waterways within the rail corridor, including those owned by third parties, have effective and up-to-date maintenance programmes to ensure that the waterways can function as designed".
KiwiRail accepted a review of its weather response system and processes was necessary, and commenced a risk-based review of its severe weather event management processes, controls, and trigger action responses. KiwiRail was also taking steps to introduce a six-stage approach for organisation-wide standards and processes for adverse weather events following the incident, to be rolled out this year.
However, KiwiRail rejected TAIC's recommendation for greater emphasis on training rail personnel, saying it was its view it "is sufficient in so far as it is a low-level control for managing adverse weather".
"The complexity of weather events would also preclude any meaningful training as it would otherwise require a significant number of scenarios to be credible. Our Adverse weather TARP ... was developed in consideration of this position and rail personnel knowledge in the way we will manage adverse weather events going forward."
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