Battery leakage cleared after train de-rails

Firefighters spent just under five hours overnight at Sulphur Point rail crossing where a train de-railed, with dangerous goods inside one container posing a risk of battery acid leaking onto the road.

A train de-railed at Sulphur Point overnight. Photos: supplied.

Watch live footage from the scene here. Video by: Cameron Avery.

Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Greerton fire brigades were called to the scene at Cross Rd after 9pm on Saturday when a train fell off the track, cutting all access to Sulphur Point.

Tauranga senior station officer Phil Price says a 40ft and 20ft shipping container fell off the tracks and onto the road, with one container carrying dangerous goods.

'The 20ft shipping container had batteries in it and there was a risk of battery acid leaking. The other container was non-hazardous.

'Once the crane arrived it removed the containers from the de-railed wagons which was still upright and righted the container with the dangerous goods in it.

'At that point some battery acid ran out onto the roadway which we flushed away. It was only a small spill, just a few litres.”

Phil says stage one was for firefighters to unhook the non-dangerous carriages and remove them from the road.

'It took us about four and a half hours,” says Phil, who says stage two was for firefighters to confirm what the dangerous contents were inside.

'The container was taken to Sulphur Point wharf in a special area designed just for incidents like this, where it was safe and isolated – and if there was any leakage it was contained. The risk is now over.”

The incident has been left in the hands of the railway and port authorities to deal with, says Phil.

No one was injured in the incident and Phil couldn't say why the train de-railed.

When SunLive phoned police this morning, they weren't able to answer any questions regarding the train de-railing as the officer had not yet been made aware of the incident.

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1 comment

Two questions perhaps..??

Posted on 16-11-2014 22:17 | By groutby

I guess we haven't the heart to ask, but...how does a train "fall off the track"..??in a shunting speed environment, and, in regard to the incident, was there only ONE Police Officer working on Saturday night in the district?..that concerns me....


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