BHP's runaway train damaged after 92-km run, Australia starts probe
MELBOURNE - A train loaded with iron ore and operated by BHP Billiton ran away without a driver for 92 km before being forcibly derailed in the early hours of Monday, the company and Australian authorities said.
As a result, the world's biggest miner had suspended all Western Australian iron ore rail operations while an investigation was underway, The Australian Newspaper reported, without citing a source.
A BHP spokeswoman did not immediately comment on whether BHP had suspended all of its iron-ore rail shipments.
Australia's transport authority said it was investigating the incident.
"A Western Australia iron ore train has been derailed near Turner River on route to Port Hedland this morning," BHP said in a statement.
"No one has been injured. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation."
The damage to the train was "substantial", The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report.
"At approximately 0440 on 5 November 2018, the driver of a loaded ore train consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons stopped at the 211 km point. The driver alighted from the locomotive to inspect an issue with a wagon," it said in the summary of an investigation into a report.
While the driver was outside of the locomotive, the train took off. "With no one on board, the train travelled for 92 km until about 0505, when the train was deliberately derailed at a set of points operated by the control centre, about 119 km from Port Hedland."
Comments
The
content
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation