Victorian train drivers had refused to travel on the section of track that was the scene of a fatal accident on Thursday, says a transport union.
The driver and pilot of a Sydney-Melbourne NSW TrainLink Regional service were killed when the train derailed on a “passing loop” that Victorian V/Line drivers were refusing to use because of a signalling issue [source: heraldsun.com.au].
In comments reported by the Herald Sun, Rail, Tram and Bus Union state secretary Luba Grigorovitch said:
“Conditions were altered and V/Line drivers rightly refused to traverse this section over the past week.
“The RTBU is deeply saddened by the tragic accident that has taken the life of two rail workers and unnecessarily injured many more.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy, from other rail workers, affected passengers and the family and friends of all those grieving from this incident.
“Today marks a difficult day for drivers and rail workers across the state and the RTBU will be here not only to offer support but to ensure a thorough investigation is undertaken.”
In addition to the two fatalities, 11 passengers received non-life threatening injuries when the train crashed.
V/Line’s drivers in the past week refused to drive on the track where a train derailed at Wallan, killing its driver and pilot, the union has revealed.https://t.co/Fb4vLnWm7S
— Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) February 20, 2020
