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| Granville rail disaster | |
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| Details | |
| Date and time | 18 January 1977, at 8.10am |
| Location | Granville, New South Wales |
| 19.06 km (11.8 mi) WNW from Sydney | |
| Country | Australia |
| Rail line | Western railway line |
| Operator | CityRail |
| Type of incident | Derailment |
| Cause | Poor track condition |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 83 |
| Injuries | 210 |
The Granville rail disaster occurred on 18 January 1977 at Granville, a suburb west of Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales, Australia, when a crowded commuter train travelling to Sydney derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge which came down onto two of its passenger carriages.
It is the most severe railway disaster in Australia with 83 fatalities.
Contents |
The crash
The crowded 6:09 am Sydney-bound commuter train from Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains, was approaching Granville railway station when it left the rails at approximately 8:10 am and hit a row of supports of the overhead Bold Street bridge, constructed from steel and concrete.
The derailed engine and first two carriages passed the bridge; the first carriage broke free from the other carriages, but was torn open when it ploughed into a pole beside the track. The remaining carriages ground to a halt, with the second carriage clear of the bridge. The rear half of the third carriage, and forward half of the fourth carriage came to rest under the weakened, vulnerable bridge. After a matter of seconds, with all its supports demolished, the bridge and several motor cars on top of it crashed down onto carriages, crushing them and the passengers inside.1
In all, 83 people died, more than 210 were badly injured and 1,300 were affected.
The passengers killed were in the first, third and fourth carriages. Many of those who died were killed instantly when the bridge crushed them in their seats; some of the survivors in the crushed carriages saw those killed one seat ahead. The train driver, second man, and the motorists driving on the bridge all survived. There were a number of people trapped in the train for hours after the accident by part of the bridge crushing a limb or torso; many of these people were conscious and lucid, talking to rescuers, but died of crush syndrome soon after the crushing weight was removed from their bodies due to the sudden release of muscle myoglobins having built up in the limb, causing renal failure. This resulted in changes to rescue procedures for these kinds of accidents.
Aftermath
The bridge was rebuilt as a single span without any intermediate support piers. Other bridges similar to the destroyed bridge had their piers reinforced.
The inquiry into the accident found that the primary cause of the crash was "the very unsatisfactory condition of the permanent way", being the poor fastening of the track, causing the track to spread and allowing the left front wheel of the locomotive to come off the rail. How this happened was related to the high turnover of staff combined with a lack of standard procedures for track inspections. The posted limit for the track was not shown to be too high, provided appropriate track inspection and maintenance was occurring.
The disaster triggered substantial increases in rail maintenance expenditure.
Memorial Trust
The Granville Memorial Trust was established in the wake of the accident to commemorate the victims and campaign for improvements to rail safety.
The Trust organises an annual memorial service on the anniversary of the crash. Families and friends of the victims gather with surviving members of the rescue crews in a march through Granville to the Bold Street bridge where the accident occurred.2 The ceremony ends with the throwing of 83 roses on to the tracks to mark the number of passengers killed.3 In 2007, a plaque was placed atop the bridge to mark the efforts of railway workers who assisted in rescuing survivors from the train.3
Trust members also make submissions on rail safety issues, including recommending that fines for safety breaches be dedicated to rail safety improvements,4 and campaigning for the establishment of an independent railway safety ombudsman.5
Telemovie
An Australian telemovie made in 1998, The Day of the Roses, follows the coronial investigation. More than two years of intensive research was undertaken to chronicle the historical events that led to Australia's worst peace time disaster. Hearing of this work and just a few weeks before his death from bowel cancer in 1996, unsolicited Coroner Tom Weir telephoned one of the writers of the original film manuscript. He confirmed his conversation in a subsequent four page letter to the manuscript writers. Tom Weir in that telephone conversation and subsequent letter detailed the cover-up conspiracy and how key players at the time tried to subvert the course of justice. The original of this letter is still held by the writers of the manuscript and a copy is also held by the film's producers. He didn’t live to see the telemovie. The official government document detailing the internal inquiry at the time was classified and as such did not see the light of day for almost 20 years. It further clarifies and confirms the extent of the cover-up. Copies of this are also held by the original writers and the film producers. The telemovie focussed on the real cause, several victims, the rescue and other people who assisted victims, and the ongoing annual dropping of roses ceremony from the bridge site. The real strength of the film comes from the extensive assistance the real people involved gave. This is demonstrated in the closing scenes of the film where the real people involved (not actors) dropped the roses off the bridge. Many of the real people involved donated their services to the production of the film. Many scenes of the film were criticised at the time for being unrealistic. Those scenes were how the real people involved remembered them and the official documents actually recorded them. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. The film was both critically and popularly acclaimed, winning many awards and getting record breaking ratings. The film had a who's who of Australia actors at the time with some stand-out performances by Paul Mecurio and Rebecca Gibney however the other exceptional performances were too many to detail.
Similar accidents
See also
References
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
- ^ "Medical Review Seminar Lidcombe Hospital -15 February 1977". Granville Historical Society (24 October 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ "Granville victims remembered", Australian Broadcasting Corporation (18 January 2007). Retrieved on 10 January 2008.
- ^ a b "Granville memorial organisers forced to beg", The Daily Telegraph (15 January 2007). Retrieved on 10 January 2008.
- ^ "Waterfall disaster fine low: opposition", National Nine News (16 January 2007). Retrieved on 10 January 2008.
- ^ "Rail safety election vow by Brogden", The Sydney Morning Herald (18 January 2003). Retrieved on 10 January 2008.
External links
- Danger Ahead! Granville, Sydney, Australia
- The Granville Historical Society
- Documentary on the Granville Train Disaster (video)
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 18 December 2008, at 05:11.
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