Granville rail disaster
| Granville rail disaster | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 18 January 1977 08:10 |
| Location | Granville, Sydney, New South Wales 19.06 km (11.84 mi) WNW from Sydney |
| Country | Australia |
| Line | Main Western line |
| Operator | Public Transport Commission |
| Incident type | Derailment |
| Cause | Poor track maintenance |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 84 |
| Injured | 213 |
The Granville rail disaster occurred on Tuesday 18 January 1977 at Granville, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when a crowded commuter train derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge that collapsed onto two of the train's passenger carriages.
While the official inquiry found the primary cause of the crash to be poor fastening of the track, there were a number of factors that were identified as contributing to the accident.
It remains the worst rail disaster in Australian history; 83 people died and 213 were injured. An 84th victim, an unborn child, was added to the fatality list in 2017.