Granville Rail Disaster - The Crash

The Crash

The crowded 6:09 a.m. 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 a.m. and hit a row of supports of the overhead Bold Street bridge, constructed from steel and concrete.

The derailed engine and first two carriages passed the bridge. The first carriage broke free from the other carriages. Carriage one was torn open when it collided with a severed mast beside the track, killing eight passengers. 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 bridge. Within seconds, with all its supports demolished, the bridge and several motor cars on top of it crashed onto the carriages, crushing them and the passengers inside.

Many passengers in the third and fourth carriages were killed instantly when the bridge crushed them in their seats. Several injured passengers were trapped in the train, for hours after the accident, by part of the bridge crushing a limb or torso. Some had been conscious and lucid, talking to rescuers, but died of crush syndrome soon after the weight was removed from their bodies. This was due to the sudden release of substances such as potassium from the injured limb. This resulted in changes to rescue procedures for these kinds of accidents.

The train driver, second man, and the motorists driving on the fallen bridge all survived.