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FAULTY signals at a level crossing have been blamed for a horror crash between a truck and a Tilt Train that killed two people in north Queensland yesterday.

Witnesses claimed the signals were not operating properly after a severe storm swept through the area hours before the train carrying 81 people slammed into the semi-trailer at an innocuous crossing over the Bruce Highway at about 2.50pm.

Two train drivers - Richard Weathrell, 54, and a man whose name has not been released - were killed and a number of passengers were injured in the collision, which snapped the truck from its trailer.

The train engine also rolled and twisted but the carriages remained upright.

Emergency crews that arrived on the scene were amazed that so many passengers and the truck driver escaped serious injury.

The crash is the latest in a string of safety problems that have plagued the iconic Tilt Train since its introduction in 1998.

The train was travelling from Brisbane to Cairns yesterday when tragedy struck about 30km south of Cardwell, where the train line crosses the Bruce Highway.

A witness travelling behind the truck last night told The Courier-Mail that flashing lights at the crossing were not working.

He said he watched the south-bound truck cross into the path of the diesel-powered train, which can reach speeds of 160km/h.

Marine Hotel owner Margaret Power said all power had been cut to Cardwell after an electrical storm passed south of the town about 1pm.

"We've got two train lines here that we have to cross over here from Cardwell to get to Ingham," Ms Power said.

"The first lights were working and the trucks all crossed over and then when they got down to this one it wasn't working.

"The truck driver's just gone into the train.

"No lights were working."

QR would not comment on whether the lights failed at the time of the collision.

But Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees state secretary Greg Smith called for an urgent review of level crossings in Queensland.

"This crossing was protected by lights and not boom gates, which is an issue we have been raising for some time," he said.

"Unfortunately it's been on the boil that something tragic was going to happen."

In Parliament last night, Transport Minister John Mickel extended his sympathies to the families of the dead men.

"I want them (the families of the victims) to draw strength from the fact that every honourable Member in this house is thinking of them in their difficult time of unimaginable grief," he said.

Mr Mickel pledged that there would be a thorough and independent investigation into the tragedy.

"We are also doing whatever we can to assist and expedite the investigation into the cause and circumstances of this accident," he said.

The crash comes almost four years to the day that 120 passengers were injured when a speeding Tilt Train derailed at Rosedale, 60km north of Bundaberg.

The official investigation into that crash found that a ham sandwich may have played a part in the crash.

The report found the driver believed he had passed a critical turn in the track and that "he may have decided to access his bag and/or get some food from the mini fridge".

The speed of the Tilt Trains was limited after that crash and the restrictions were lifted only last year back to the maximum 160km/h.

In the aftermath of yesterday's crash, paramedics set up an emergency triage to cope with the wounded passengers.

One passenger was airlifted to Townsville Base Hospital with serious chest injuries.

Uninjured passengers were taken to Townsville by bus, where they were offered counselling and accommodation on arrival.

Mayor of the Cassowary Coast Regional Council Bill Shannon said he was devastated by the "terrible tragedy".

"Two people have died and we will need to get to the bottom of this," Cr Shannon said.

"It is so preliminary but we will need to know if it was a failure of equipment or human error."

Cr Shannon said the level crossing in question was not protected by boom gates and relied on the flashing lights only.

Weather bureau forecaster Geoff Doueal said that there had been rain activity in the area early in the afternoon.

"There could have been storms and winds," Mr Doueal said.

Central Queensland University's Scott Simson, an expert in rail vehicle dynamics and driver performance, said there was nothing unique about Tilt Trains in terms of their performance in accidents, including their braking abilities.

"If this accident has occurred on a crossing then it is hard to see how the train would be at fault," he said.

wadeo1984 wrote:This is taken from The Australian:

(...)
Marine Hotel owner Margaret Power said all power had been cut to Cardwell after an electrical storm passed south of the town about 1pm.

"We've got two train lines here that we have to cross over here from Cardwell to get to Ingham," Ms Power said.
(...)

(...)

Kevo00 wrote:Grim.

I'm not familiar with this part of Aus but surely power outages due to bad weather are a common problem in Australia. I would have thought they would have put procedures in place to deal with such problems. As for the lack of level crossing barriers, if the power had failed they wouldn't have worked either. Most level crossing crashes are the fault of the road vehicle, but this doesn't sound the case.

hertogjan wrote:

Kevo00 wrote:Grim.

I'm not familiar with this part of Aus but surely power outages due to bad weather are a common problem in Australia. I would have thought they would have put procedures in place to deal with such problems. As for the lack of level crossing barriers, if the power had failed they wouldn't have worked either. Most level crossing crashes are the fault of the road vehicle, but this doesn't sound the case.

Such a system should be fail-safe: If there is no power, all trains should stop. That would be quite easy to do. Only allow a train to pass when a signal is given before a crossing. If the signal either is showing stop, or does not show anything at all (for instance due to a power failure) this would signal the driver to stop the train immediately.

Personally, I think road drivers should be aware that signalling at level crossings may fail; in other words, they should learn to watch out for trains all the time they cross a railroad, even when there are warning lights or boom gates.

Brianetta wrote:I can't see how the train being a Tilt Train, specifically, is relevant.

I can't see how the train being a Tilt Train, specifically, is relevant.