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At approximately 9:30pm Monday night a train from Melbourne bound for Western Australia derailed on the East West rail line near Mount Christie, between Tarcoola and Cook in South Australia.
The intermodal train carrying goods to Perth was proceeding into a passing loop in order to cross with a train travelling in the opposite direction.
Approximately 20m before the loop, 12 of the train’s wagons derailed, falling onto their sides and blocking the line.
The oncoming train was immediately halted.
Australian Rail Track Corporation recovery and assessment teams are on site and will determine the full extent of the damage to the rail corridor and the amount of repairs needed.
Early assessments indicate that approximately 300 metres of track have been damaged and cranes will be needed to recover the fallen wagons.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has also been requested to attend and their investigation team is also travelling to the site.
The incident has closed the line between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie. It is too premature at this stage to estimate when the track will re-open.
There were no injuries associated with this incident.