ATSB – RO-2018-004
from the guard. The train departed 2 minutes late, but was on schedule by the time it reached Clarendon, eight stations later.
The guard of the accident train had signed on at Richmond Station at 0243 and worked two Richmond to Blacktown return services and then a Blacktown to Schofields service before returning to Blacktown Station at 0851. The guard waited at the city end of Platform 2 for run 150-E to arrive. He did not speak to the driver while waiting for the train, nor at any time throughout the trip to Richmond. The guard received a handover from the outgoing guard and took his position in the compartment at the rear of the train, car 8.
After departing Blacktown Station at 0920, the train made eight stops before arriving at the last station before Richmond, East Richmond at 0950:10. The driver said the train was operating normally throughout the journey and that, up to this point, he was feeling fine and had no indication of any problem with his health. A tabular summary of the journey from Blacktown to Richmond is shown in Table 1.
| Station | Timetable | Max speed in section | Time of door opening | Time of door closing | Time driver powered on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacktown | 0917- 0918 | 0919:27.4 | 0920:05.6 | 0920:09.9 | |
| 92 km/h | |||||
| Marayong | 0920 | 0922:47.1 | 0923:01.5 | 0923:02.5 | |
| 83 km/h | |||||
| Quakers Hill | 0924 | 0925:41.9 | 0926:00.0 | 0926:02.5 | |
| 107 km/h | |||||
| Schofields | 0926 - 0927 | 0928:38.1 | 0928:56.2 | 0928:57.5 | |
| 99 km/h | |||||
| Riverstone | 0930 - 0932 | 0932:07.1 | 0933:03.0 | 0933:06.4 | |
| 91 km/h | |||||
| Vineyard | 0937 | 0937:11.6 | 0937:27.0 | 0937:28.4 | |
| 100 km/h | |||||
| Mulgrave | 0940 | 0940:45.1 | 0940:57.4 | 0940:58.5 | |
| 78 km/h | |||||
| Windsor | 0944 | 0944:07.6 | 0944:31.0 | 0944:33.0 | |
| 85 km/h | |||||
| Clarendon | 0947 – 0948 | 0946:53.4 | 0947:07.4 | 0947:08.4 | |
| 92 km/h | |||||
| East Richmond | 0951 | 0950:10.6 | 0950:25.0 | 0950:27.0 | |
| 52 km/h | |||||
| Richmond | 0952 | 0951:46 |
Source: Sydney Trains
The maximum speed was exceeded, momentarily, on two occasions. Between Mulgrave and Windsor, the maximum allowable track speed is 75 km/h and the train reached a speed of 78 km/h for a short period of 4.7 seconds. Between East Richmond and Richmond, the maximum allowable track speed is 50 km/h and the train reached a speed of 52 km/h for a brief period of 1.9 seconds.
Run 150-E departed East Richmond approximately 30 seconds ahead of timetable at 0950:27. The driver received a ‘proceed’ bell signal from the guard and, using the power/brake handle, increased power demand to 85% at 0950:29 (maximum power is 90%). This power level was maintained for 19.5 seconds until the train had reached a speed of 48 km/h. The driver then reduced power demand to 50% at 0950:48.5.
At 0950:48.9, the driver operated the train’s town horn for 260 milliseconds on approach to the Bourke St level crossing. Due to the slight downhill track gradient of 1:77, the train increased speed to 52 km/h. The driver said that he could see the caution signal ahead and Richmond
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