Passengers on a Sydney to Dubbo train service had what police describe as a lucky escape yesterday in a crash that claimed the life of a man.
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Customers can expect to board as normal today, less than 24 hours after a CountryLink XPT train travelling the daily western route collided with an excavator near Blayney about 11.30am yesterday.
The young excavator driver doing track work was killed, but police cautioned the accident could have been far worse had the train derailed because it happened near a steep incline.
The 71 passengers and 6 crew members on board the service bound for Dubbo sustained only minor injuries and their trip was delayed by hours.
The extraordinary event occurred about three kilometres on the Bathurst side of Newbridge station, south-east of Blayney, an ambulance spokesman and RailCorp said.
The 25-year-old excavator driver was one of three men working near the tracks when the XPT emerged from a deep rail cutting on to a sweeping left hand bend and collided with the excavator about 11.35am.
The driver miraculously brought his train to a stop, perched on the tracks above a steep incline to the south of the railway.
Chifley command crime manager Inspector Lance McFawn said “it was a very tragic accident”.
“We were fortunate no more lives were lost,” Inspector McFawn said referring to the very steep incline and the fact the train had not derailed.
Inspector McFawn said police had yet to establish how the accident occurred.
Bathurst detectives and forensic service group were at the scene yesterday taking measurements from what may have been a blind cutting wall to the long bend, about three kilometres west from the Newbridge railway station.
Inspector McFawn said the train driver had suffered shock as a result of the accident and been referred to medical attention.
Emergency response services were beside the railway tracks within 30 minutes of the accident being reported.
The XPT remained where it had come to an abrupt halt for three hours with the passengers on board.
The train with its still functioning second motor retraced its
journey east to the Bathurst Railway Station where specialist trauma counselling teams were waiting to check passengers who were to board a coach service for Dubbo.
The passengers were taken back to Bathurst and then put on a coach service to continue their journey west, a RailCorp spokesman said.
They might depart Bathurst by 4.30pm, he said.
Arrangements had been made for luggage similar to that made when coaches supplemented trains at other times, he said.
Later the Railcorp spokesman confirmed passengers would able to travel the route yesterday.
“A train service will operate between Orange and Sydney,” he said. “Buses are replacing trains between Orange and Dubbo.
“This arrangement had already been planned because of track work.”
- With Terry Jones, Western Advocate.