A TRAIN derailment at Colebrook last month was likely the result of speeding and did $4 million worth of damage, TasRail says. Two locomotives and 11 freight carriages were upended on a recently upgraded section of track on November 9, and TasRail's chairman Bob Annells said the company had ruled out all possible causes except human error. "We believe that speeding was the cause of the crash," Mr Annells told a government business scrutiny hearing yesterday. "There is absolutely no doubt that the train was moving too quickly." Mr Annells said the cost of the crash was about $4 million, of which $3 million would be paid by TasRail. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is still investigating the derailment. Mr Annells said TasRail's new train control system, to be rolled out in the coming weeks, would have raised alarms and warnings about the train's speed. Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding told the hearing that the government was investigating whether TasRail should merge with TasPorts. "They're both in the supply chain space and so there is a body of work taking place to understand whether there are any benefits in a closer alignment," he said. Mr Hidding said he expected to hear back from the investigation's steering committee before the end of the year. He said TasRail had suffered a "year from hell" with the loss of three major customers. Mr Annells said the company, which ran at an after-tax loss of $48.9 million in the 2013-14 financial year, would need ongoing government support to remain viable. He defended TasRail's use of an investigator to grill staff after a senior staff member's pay details were leaked to a union. "Great damage can be done to a business if you have someone leaking sensitive information," he said. "The guy did a very quiet job, tried very hard not to upset staff, because this is always unpleasant and every time it ends in tears." He said claims from the Rail Tram and Bus Union that the company used nepotism to hire senior staff were "rubbish", and also rejected the suggestion that TasRail's Brighton offices were empty.
Tasrail chief executive Damien White and chairman Bob Annells. Picture: Patrick Caruana
A TRAIN derailment at Colebrook last month was likely the result of speeding and did $4 million worth of damage, TasRail says.
Two locomotives and 11 freight carriages were upended on a recently upgraded section of track on November 9, and TasRail's chairman Bob Annells said the company had ruled out all possible causes except human error.
"We believe that speeding was the cause of the crash," Mr Annells told a government business scrutiny hearing yesterday.
"There is absolutely no doubt that the train was moving too quickly."
Mr Annells said the cost of the crash was about $4 million, of which $3 million would be paid by TasRail.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is still investigating the derailment.
Mr Annells said TasRail's new train control system, to be rolled out in the coming weeks, would have raised alarms and warnings about the train's speed.
Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding told the hearing that the government was investigating whether TasRail should merge with TasPorts.
"They're both in the supply chain space and so there is a body of work taking place to understand whether there are any benefits in a closer alignment," he said.
Mr Hidding said he expected to hear back from the investigation's steering committee before the end of the year.
He said TasRail had suffered a "year from hell" with the loss of three major customers.
Mr Annells said the company, which ran at an after-tax loss of $48.9 million in the 2013-14 financial year, would need ongoing government support to remain viable.
He defended TasRail's use of an investigator to grill staff after a senior staff member's pay details were leaked to a union.
"Great damage can be done to a business if you have someone leaking sensitive information," he said.
"The guy did a very quiet job, tried very hard not to upset staff, because this is always unpleasant and every time it ends in tears."
He said claims from the Rail Tram and Bus Union that the company used nepotism to hire senior staff were "rubbish", and also rejected the suggestion that TasRail's Brighton offices were empty.
