THE derailment of a fertiliser train travelling to the Port of Townsville caused the Townsville railway line to be closed for three days.
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Rail, Train and Bus Union Northern District organiser Les Moffitt said the loaded Aurizon train and six wagons derailed near Warrigal about 6.15am on August 10.
“It appears that an axle broke on one of the wagons, which caused the derailment, resulting in a considerable amount of fertiliser product spilling onto the ground,” Mr Moffitt said.
Mr Moffitt said the derailment could have been due to a “rollingstock failure”.
A Queensland Rail restructure had caused hundreds of job losses along the 1032-kilometre track between Townsville to Mount Isa.
Aurizon’s Rollingstock servicing depot in Hughenden and the South Yard Workshops in Townsville have also been closed.
Cloncurry Rollingstock servicing depot trade staff has also been reduced.
“The decision for the recent restructure that led to hundreds of job losses from Townsville to Mount Isa are being made by senior managers who have very little experience on the North West corridor operation and are making their decisions based purely on perceived savings to the company,” Mr Moffitt said.
“Local rail workers who have made a lifelong career out of maintaining a productive and safe operation on the Great Northern Railway look on in disbelief.”
An Aurizon spokesperson confirmed the derailing.
“The incident is under investigation and it’s premature to speculate on the cause,” the spokesperson said.
Safety was Aurizon’s “key priority”. “In recent years all major safety indicators, including derailment rates, have improved significantly. Aurizon has reduced the number of mainline derailments by 53 per cent over the past two years.”