Changes Implemented
All CityRail trains now have an additional safety feature, fitted since the accident. In addition to the deadman handle and foot pedal, the driver is now required to acknowledge a vigilance button. If the train's driver does not use the controls and does not acknowledge the vigilance alarm, the vigilance system is activated and makes a penalty brake application. All trains have also been fitted with data loggers to record the driver's and guard's actions as they work the train, as well as the train's speed.
Rescue workers who attended the scene were impeded from accessing the trapped passengers on the train because they did not have the keys required to open the emergency exit doors. Emergency exit mechanisms have all been modified to allow them to be used without requiring a key. Railcorp has installed internal emergency door release mechanisms on all the new trains.
Automatic train protection (ATP) could have prevented this accident. Railcorp has tested ATP systems on the Blue Mountains line in western Sydney, and plans for ATP implementation across the CityRail network are being formulated.
CityRail/RailCorp has incorporated emergency door releases on the insides of the new Waratah trains as a result of the inquiries to this disaster, enabling passengers open the doors themselves in case of an emergency.
Read more about this topic: Waterfall Rail Accident