Runaway BHP train deliberately derailed near Port Hedland after travelling 92km with no driver

Updated

A runaway train laden with iron ore has been deliberately derailed by BHP after it travelled for more than 90 kilometres without a driver in WA's remote Pilbara region.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the fully laden train, made up of four locomotives and 268 wagons, was travelling from the mining town of Newman to Port Hedland at 4:40am on Monday, when the driver hopped out to inspect a wagon near Hester siding.

But the train took off from the siding before the driver could get back on board.

It travelled 92 kilometres in about 50 minutes, until it was derailed at a set of points about 120 kilometres from Port Hedland.

That means the train reached average speeds of about 110 kilometres per hour.

BHP said the derailment was implemented from its Integrated Remote Operations Centre in Perth.

The centre controls the company's Pilbara operations, including rail and port facilities.

The ATSB has begun an investigation into the incident, and a spokesman said it was hoping to interview the train driver as soon as possible.

BHP said no-one was injured in the derailment and it had suspended all train operations while the investigation was carried out.

"We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

Cost 'might register in millions': analyst

Business analyst Tim Treadgold said the derailment would not have a major effect on BHP's cashflow or share price.

"In the overall scheme of things, this is a very small event," he said.

"Even if they lost three days of access to the rail line, which is possible, it's not a major event.

"We're talking about a company that deals in the billions of dollars, and this might register in the millions, but almost certainly not in the tens of millions."

The incident comes amid a push for driverless train technology, with fellow miner Rio Tinto making its first autonomous iron ore delivery in July.

Three locomotives carried around 28,000 tonnes of iron ore over 280 kilometres from Rio Tinto's mining operations in Tom Price to the port of Cape Lambert.

The load was monitored remotely from Rio Tinto's Operations Centre in Perth, more than 1,500 kilometres away.

Topics: rail-transport, mining-industry, emergency-incidents, port-hedland-6721

First posted</s>BHP Billiton has suspended all iron ore rail operations in WA after a runaway freight train with no one on board travelled 92km before it was deliberately derailed.

The driver of the BHP-operated train, which was loaded with iron ore, got out to inspect an issue with one of its 268 wagons early on Monday and it took off without him, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says.

The train was travelling on BHP's Newman to Port Hedland line in the Pilbara region, a remote area.

It was deliberately derailed at a set of points, operated by a control centre, about 119km from Port Hedland.

No one was injured.

BHP's iron ore operations were suspended while the incident was being investigated, a BHP spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters.

The ATSB, which is also investigating the incident, said the damage to the train was substantial.</s>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - BHP Billiton said it had suspended all its iron ore rail operations in Western Australia on Monday after a train ran away at high speed for nearly 100 kilometers before being forcibly derailed.

No one was injured and the train, loaded with iron ore, was traveling in a remote area. However, operations would be suspended while an investigation was underway, a spokeswoman for BHP, the world’s biggest miner, confirmed.

The Australian newspaper had earlier reported that BHP had suspended rail operations in the region after the incident.

The train, which was running on BHP’s private Mount Newman railway line, took off while the driver, the only person on the train, had temporarily stepped off the locomotive to an inspect an issue with a wagon.

The train ran for 92 kilometers at around 100 kilometers an hour, Reuters calculations show.

The accident is likely to raise safety concerns about miners’ plans to bring driverless trains to Australia’s iron ore heartland. Rival Rio Tinto made its first iron ore delivery by autonomous train in July.

The Mount Newman railway line carries ore from Newman in Australia’s iron ore-rich Pilbara to Port Hedland across a remote 426 kilometers and is one of Australia’s longest private railways.

Australia’s transport authority said it was investigating the incident.

“A Western Australia iron ore train has been derailed near Turner River on route to Port Hedland this morning,” BHP said in a statement.

“No one has been injured. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation.”

The damage to the train was “substantial”, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report.

BHP said that the train began to move at 0440 am while the driver was out conducting an inspection, before the train was intentionally derailed after about 90 km at about 0530 am.

“At approximately 0440 on 5 November 2018, the driver of a loaded ore train consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons stopped at the 211 km point. The driver alighted from the locomotive to inspect an issue with a wagon,” BHP said in a statement.

While the driver was outside of the locomotive, the train took off. “With no one on board, the train traveled for 92 km until ... the train was deliberately derailed at a set of points operated by the control center, about 119 km from Port Hedland,” the transport safety bureau said.

The speed and distance suggest the train was traveling at around 180 kilometers an hour.</s>Mining giant BHP Billiton was forced to deliberately derail a 268-car freight train, loaded with iron ore, after it had traveled an alarming 92km across Western Australia with no one on board.

The driver alighted to inspect one of the wagons at approximately 4am on Monday when the train, reportedly consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons, took off for Port Hedland before he could get back on board, the Western Australian reports.

It managed to travel 92km without anyone at the helm before BHP was forced to take drastic action and intentionally derail the train at a crossing located roughly 120km from Port Hedland in Western Australia.

The resource giant has suspended all train operations in the Pilbara region while an investigation is underway.

“A Western Australia iron ore train has been derailed near Turner on route to Port Hedland this morning. No one has been injured. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation,” a BHP spokesperson said, as quoted by the Financial Times.

“Based on the 120km distance from Port Hedland, it would appear that the great majority of BHP’s Pilbara production would be impacted. If there is significant track damage it could be that train loadings and speeds could be constrained post repairs and restarting of shipments,” Edward Sterck, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, told the Financial Times.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has sent two investigators to determine if any rail safety protocols were breached in the incident.

READ MORE: 18 dead, 168 injured in catastrophic train derailment in Taiwan (DISTURBING PHOTOS)

Iron ore extraction is a major industry for BHP Billiton, with the company exporting 69 million tons from Port Hedland in the quarter ending in September, via its four processing hubs and five mines connected by a system of 1,000km of railway lines.

Iron ore alone is responsible for almost 40 percent of BHP’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITA).

The company has faced multiple derailments in the region in recent years, in both 2017 and 2015, when an incident was caused by a broken rail.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!</s>BHP deliberately derailed a runaway Pilbara iron train carrying 268 wagons early today after it travelled 92km across the Pilbara without a driver.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said about 4am the driver of a loaded ore train travelling from Newman to Port Hedland alighted to inspect a wagon.

The bureau said the train, consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons, started to run away without the driver and with no one on board, travelling for 92km.

BHP then stopped the train by deliberately derailing it at a set of points about 120 km from Port Hedland.

A BHP spokeswoman said no one was injured and the Pilbara miner has suspended all train operations.

“We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation,” she said.

BHP declined to provide further details, saying the incident was under investigation.

The ATSB conducts technical investigations for the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.

A spokesman for the regulator said it had sent two investigators to the Pilbara to determine if there had been any breaches of the national rail safety laws.

The mining giant exported 69 million tonnes of iron ore from Port Hedland in the three months to September.

BHP’s Pilbara operations have had other derailments in recent years.

In February 2017 about 40 ore cars came off the rails about 130km south of Port Hedland.

BHP also had 25 cars derail on the Newman to Port Hedland line in December 2015, blocking both lines that run to the port.

The incident was caused a broken rail, probably with a defect that could have been detected but was not, according to bureau report released last month.

The line was shut down for three days before traffic resumed.

In that case, the ATSB report said BHP accelerated the re-railing of more than 800km of track and improved the detection of cracks in rails in response to the accident.</s>(Bloomberg) — BHP Billiton Ltd. was forced to derail a runaway train that traveled 92 kilometres without a driver across the Pilbara, a major iron ore producing area in Western Australia.

The world’s top mining company halted all train operations in the region, where it produces and ships iron ore, a key steelmaking ingredient. BHP, which runs trains that are almost three kilometres (1.9 miles) long from its giant iron ore mines, said it’s working with local authorities to investigate the incident.

The company said the driver was inspecting an issue with the train when the locomotive ran away. The loaded train, which consisted of four locomotives and 268 wagons, then traveled 92 kilometres toward Port Hedland before being deliberately derailed from BHP’s remote operations center in Perth.

Iron ore producers in Western Australia run some of the world’s longest trains. BHP transports material from its large mines — which make up almost 40 percent of its profits — to Port Hedland, where it ships to customers in China and Japan. The company has more than 1,000 kilometres of rail infrastructure in the ore-rich Pilbara region.

BHP said operations continue at its mines, but didn’t give any details on the potential impact on production. The shares rose 1.3 percent in London amid broader gains among miners.

“If there is significant track damage, it could be that train loadings and speeds could be constrained post repairs and restarting of shipments,” BMO Capital Markets said in a note. The bank said BHP’s operations account for about 20 percent of the global iron ore trade.

The top miners have been looking to increasingly automate logistics. Rival Rio Tinto Group earlier this year completed its first driverless train in Western Australia when it delivered 28,000 metric tons of iron ore along a 280-kilometer route.

BHP earlier this year reported reliability issues with port car dumpers. The producer’s Western Australian operations include five mines and four processing hubs, including joint ventures with Mitsui & Co. and Itochu Corp.

While the likely length of the rail stoppage remains unclear, any disruption to shipments from the port could pressure iron ore prices. The raw material used to make steel soared in October, with the benchmark 62 percent grade advancing about 10 percent as Chinese steel mills ramped up production before anti-pollution curbs kick in.

Port Hedland is the world’s largest iron ore export port with a total annual throughput of 519 million metric tons in 2017/2018, according to Pilbara Ports Authority. As well as BHP, it’s used by miners including Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. and Roy Hill Holdings Pty.</s>BHP Billiton said it had suspended all its iron ore rail operations in Western Australia on Monday after a train ran away at high speed for nearly 100km before being forcibly derailed.

No-one was injured and the train, loaded with iron ore, was travelling in a remote area. However, operations would be suspended while an investigation was under way, a spokesperson for BHP, the world’s biggest miner, confirmed.

The Australian newspaper had earlier reported that BHP had suspended rail operations in the region after the incident.

The train, which was running on BHP’s private Mount Newman railway line, took off while the driver, the only person on the train, had temporarily stepped off the locomotive to inspect an issue with a wagon.

The train ran for 92km at about 100km/h, Reuters calculations show.

The incident is likely to raise safety concerns about miners’ plans to bring driverless trains to Australia’s iron ore heartland. Rival Rio Tinto made its first iron ore delivery by autonomous train in July.

The Mount Newman railway line carries ore from Newman in Australia’s iron ore-rich Pilbara to Port Hedland across a remote 426km and is one of Australia’s longest private railways.

Australia’s transport authority said it was investigating the incident.

“A Western Australia iron ore train has been derailed near Turner River on route to Port Hedland,” BHP said in a statement. “No-one has been injured. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation.”

The damage to the train was “substantial”, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report.

While the driver was outside of the locomotive, the train took off. “With no-one on board, the train travelled for 92km until ... the train was deliberately derailed at a set of points operated by the control centre, about 119km from Port Hedland,” the transport safety bureau said.</s>BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) has suspended rail operations in Western Australia after it was forced to derail a runaway locomotive fill with iron ore.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said the driver of a loaded ore train traveling on BHP's Newman to Port Hedland railway got off to inspect a wagon; the train, consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons, started to run away without the driver and with no one on board, traveling for 92 km before it was deliberately derailed by BHP’s remote control center in Perth.

VHP's iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia are the company’s most important source of income, responsible for nearly 40% of EBITDA, so a lengthy suspension could put a dent in profits.</s>Runaway BHP train deliberately derailed near Port Hedland after travelling 92km with no driver

A runaway train laden with iron ore has been deliberately derailed by BHP after it travelled for more than 90 kilometres without a driver in WA's remote Pilbara region.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the fully laden train, made up of four locomotives and 268 wagons, was travelling from the mining town of Newman to Port Hedland at 4:40am today, when the driver hopped out to inspect a wagon near Hester siding.

But the train took off from the siding before the driver could get back on board.

It travelled 90 kilometres in about 50 minutes, until it was derailed at a set of points about 120 kilometres from Port Hedland.

BHP said the derailment was implemented from its Integrated Remote Operations Centre in Perth.

The centre controls the company's Pilbara operations, including rail and port facilities.

The ATSB has begun an investigation into the incident, and a spokesman said it was hoping to interview the train driver as soon as possible.

BHP said no-one was injured in the derailment and it had suspended all train operations while the investigation is underway.

"We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation," a spokesperson said in a statement.</s>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A train loaded with iron ore and operated by BHP Billiton ran away without a driver for 92 kilometers before being forcibly derailed in the early hours of Monday, the company and Australian authorities said.

As a result, the world’s biggest miner had suspended all Western Australian iron ore rail operations while an investigation was underway, The Australian Newspaper reported, without citing a source.

A BHP spokeswoman did not immediately comment on whether BHP had suspended all of its iron ore rail shipments.

Australia’s transport authority said it was investigating the incident.

“A Western Australia iron ore train has been derailed near Turner River on route to Port Hedland this morning,” BHP said in a statement.

“No one has been injured. We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the situation.”

The damage to the train was “substantial”, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a report.

“At approximately 0440 on 5 November 2018, the driver of a loaded ore train consisting of four locomotives and 268 wagons stopped at the 211 km point. The driver alighted from the locomotive to inspect an issue with a wagon,” it said in the summary of an investigation into a report.

While the driver was outside of the locomotive, the train took off. “With no one on board, the train traveled for 92 km until about 0505, when the train was deliberately derailed at a set of points operated by the control center, about 119 km from Port Hedland.”
In Port Hedland, Australia, authorities deliberately derail a runaway train after the driver left the train for an inspection. The assemblage consisted of four locomotives and two hundred sixty-eight wagons, was operated by BHP Billiton on the Pilbara Railways, and traveled ninety-two kilometers. The train was en route from Newman to Port Hedland.