Granville railway disaster
Details
Date and time	January 18, 1977, at 8.10am
Location	Granville, New South Wales
	19.06 km (11.84 mi) WNW from Sydney
Rail line	Western railway line
Operator	CityRail
Type of incident	Derailment
Cause	Poor track condition
Statistics
Trains	1
Deaths	83
Injuries	210

The Granville railway disaster occurred on 18 January 1977 at Granville, a suburb west of Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales, Australia, when a crowded commuter train travelling to Sydney derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge which came down onto two of its passenger carriages. is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Granville, is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... “km” redirects here. ... “Miles” redirects here. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... The Western Line is part of the metropolitan rail network in Sydney known as CityRail. ... This article is on the commuter rail network centred on Sydney, Australia. ... is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Granville, is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... NSW redirects here. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ...

It is the most severe railway disaster in Australia with 83 fatalities.

The crash

The crowded 6:09 am Sydney-bound commuter train from Mount Victoria, in the Blue Mountains, was approaching Granville railway station when it left the rails at approximately 8:10 am and hit a row of supports of the overhead Bold Street bridge, constructed from steel and concrete. A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... Mount Victoria is the westernmost village/township in the City of Blue Mountains. ... A panoramic view of the Blue Mountains The Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, are situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney. ... Granville is a major station in the CityRail network of Sydney, Australia, serving the citys South and Western lines along with the inter-city Blue Mountains Line. ... This article is about the edifice (including an index to articles on specific bridge types). ...

The derailed engine and first two carriages passed the bridge; the first carriage broke free from the other carriages, but was torn open by the bridge supports. The remaining carriages ground to a halt, with the second carriage clear of the bridge. The rear half of the third carriage, and forward half of the fourth carriage came to rest under the weakened, vulnerable bridge. After a matter of seconds, with all its supports demolished, the bridge and several motor cars on top of it crashed down onto carriages, crushing them and the passengers inside.^[1]

In all, 83 people died and more than 210 were badly injured.

The passengers killed were in the first, third and fourth carriages. Many of those who died were killed instantly when the bridge crushed them in their seats; some of the survivors in the crushed carriages saw those killed one seat ahead. The train driver, second man, and the motorists driving on the bridge all survived. There were a number of people trapped in the train for hours after the accident by part of the bridge crushing a limb or torso; many of these people were conscious and lucid, talking to rescuers, but died of crush syndrome soon after the crushing weight was removed from their bodies due to the sudden release of muscle myoglobins having built up in the limb, causing renal failure. This resulted in changes to rescue procedures for these kinds of accidents. Crush syndrome: is a reperfusion injury as a result of traumatic rhabdomyolysis causing a severe systemic manifestation of trauma and dead tissues ( ischemia –from lack of O2 getting to the tissues there by destroying the tissue) involving soft tissues, principally skeletal muscle, due to prolonged severe crushing. ... An X-ray diffraction image for the protein myoglobin. ...

Aftermath

Granville railway station

The bridge was rebuilt as a single span without any intermediate support piers. Other bridges similar to the destroyed bridge had their piers reinforced. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Granville is a major station in the CityRail network of Sydney, Australia, serving the citys South and Western lines along with the inter-city Blue Mountains Line. ...

The inquiry into the accident found that the primary cause of the crash was "the very unsatisfactory condition of the permanent way", being the poor fastening of the track, causing the track to spread and allowing the left front wheel of the locomotive to come off the rail. How this happened was related to the high turnover of staff combined with a lack of standard procedures for track inspections. The posted limit for the track was not shown to be too high, provided appropriate track inspection and maintenance was occurring.

The disaster triggered substantial increases in rail maintenance expenditure.

Memorial Trust

Granville railway disaster memorial on the corner of Railway Pde and Carlton St, across from the disaster site

The Granville Memorial Trust was established in the wake of the accident to commemorate the victims and campaign for improvements to rail safety.

The Trust organises an annual memorial service on the anniversary of the crash. Families and friends of the victims gather with surviving members of the rescue crews in a march through Granville to the Bold Street bridge where the accident occurred.^[2] The ceremony ends with the throwing of 83 roses on to the tracks to mark the number of passengers killed.^[3] In 2007, a plaque was placed atop the bridge to mark the efforts of railway workers who assisted in rescuing survivors from the train.^[3]

Trust members also make submissions on rail safety issues, including recommending that fines for safety breaches be dedicated to rail safety improvements,^[4] and campaigning for the establishment of an independent railway safety ombudsman.^[5] For the Canadian television series, see Ombudsman (TV series). ...

Telemovie

An Australian telemovie made in 1998, The Day of the Roses, follows the coronial investigation. Before his sudden death from bowel cancer in 1996, Coroner Tom Weir was corresponding with Beyond Television Productions about the pressure applied on him during the inquest into the disaster. Whilst the coroner did not live to see the telemovie, his recommendation of a major upgrade to the rail network was his lasting legacy. The Day of the Roses is a two part Australian television mini-series, a docu-drama directed by Peter Fisk, based on the events of the 1977 Granville railway disaster. ... The name of Coroners Court is the generic name given to proceedings in which a Coroner holds an inquest or an inquiry in New South Wales. ... Beyond Television Productions is a subsidiary of the Austrailian company Beyond International. ...

The telemovie detailed select victims, the many courageous people who risked their lives to save the victims, and the outpouring of sorrow and ongoing memory of that day that lives on by the annual dropping of roses from the bridge site.

See also

• Railway accidents in New South Wales
• List of rail accidents

The railways of New South Wales, Australia have had several incidents and accidents since their formation in 1831. ... List of rail accidents from 2000 to the present. ...

References

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External links

• Danger Ahead! Granville, Sydney, Australia
• The Granville Historical Society
• Documentary on the Granville Train Disaster (video)

Coordinates: 33°49′54″S 151°00′37″E / -33.8316, 151.0102 Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...