A trespasser who jumped off the tracks less than 400 metres before a train hit his dirt bike "would have almost scraped his boots" on the train as it went past at 147 km/hr, the driver said.
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V/Line released the footage, taken by the driver’s own dash cam, on Wednesday.
The dirt bike rider fumbled getting his bike across the track before jumping clear with just a split second to spare, driver Colin Sharp said.
Mr Sharp told 3AW radio the train had rounded the corner at 160 km/hr and was still traveling at 147 km/hr when he passed the biker.
“I reckon as he was going off the side of the bridge he would have almost scraped his boots on the side of my train as I went past him, it was that close. I really honestly thought that I had him and thank god that I didn't.
“As I came round the corner I was doing right on 160 km/hr and as soon as I saw him, the emergency brake I had to apply and still went past him doing 147 km/hr at that stage,” he said.
“He was pushing the bike across the bridge which was a pretty silly thing to do and as soon as he'd seen me he fumbled the bike thinking he could try and get the bike off and then finally got some sense and decided to get himself off and left the bike right where it was.”
The collision is one of nearly 300 near hits on the V/Line network in the past year that have forced drivers to take evasive action such as sounding the whistle or applying emergency brakes when sighting people on or near the tracks.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
V/Line CEO James Pinder said trains were quieter than most people expected – even traveling at speeds of 160 km/hr.
“Our trains travel at up to 160 kilometres per hour, and many new services have been added to our timetable in the past two years – with more to come.”
“Trains approaching at high speed are quieter than expected – and it can take nearly a kilometre for a train to stop once the driver applies the brakes.”
LISTEN TO THE TRAIN DRIVER’S INTERVIEW HERE
The possible effects can be traumatic for staff, customers and members of the community, and cause disruption to services on the rail network.
“When people are reported on the tracks, V/Line often stops trains running in both directions, which can cause lengthy delays for our customers,” Mr Pinder said.
“I’d encourage people to only cross railway lines at marked crossings, respect all warning signs and always look both ways as trains can come from either direction.”
More to come.
Jessica Black
Ballarat journalist.
Ballarat journalist.
