BHP blames driver error, brake problem for runaway train wreck

According to Mining News Pro -BHP said its initial findings of the November 5 incident showed the nearly 3-km long train came to a halt after a braking system control cable became disconnected. After the driver got off the train to carry out an inspection, it began to move "becoming what is termed a `rollaway` train".

The train, which was on BHP`s private Mount Newman railway line in the Pilbara in the northwest of the state of Western Australia, rode on without a driver for 92 km at around 100 km per hour before being derailed by the company`s remote operations centre in Perth.

"Our initial findings show that the emergency air brake for the entire train was not engaged as required by the relevant operating procedure," BHP`s Western Australia Iron Ore president Edgar Basto said in a statement.

In addition, the electric braking system that initially stopped the train, automatically released after one hour while the driver was still outside," he said.

Integration of the back-up braking system had also failed, BHP said, therefore, for safety reasons, the company chose to derail the train intentionally because it could not be stopped with the braking system.

"As a result of these initial findings, we put in place a range of safety controls. Following this, we safely restarted our rail operations," Basto said.

Investigations by regulators are continuing.