Granville rail disaster

The Granville rail disaster occurred on 18 January 1977 at Granville, a suburb in western Sydney, when a crowded commuter train derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge that collapsed onto two of the train's passenger carriages. 84 people died (including an unborn child), more than 210 were injured, and 1,300 were affected. It is the deadliest rail disaster in Australian history.

Aftermath
The bridge was rebuilt as a single span without any intermediate support piers. Other bridges similar to the destroyed bridge had their piers reinforced.

The inquiry into the accident found that the primary cause of the crash was "the very unsatisfactory condition of the permanent way", being the poor fastening of the track, causing the track to spread and allowing the left front wheel of the locomotive to come off the rail. Contributing factors were the high turnover of the staff combined with a lack of standard procedures for track inspections. The posted limit for the track was not shown to be too great, provided appropriate track inspection and maintenance were occurring. The disaster caused substantial increases in rail maintenance expenditure.

Memorial Trust
The Granville Memorial Trust was established after the accident to commemorate the victims and campaign for improvements to rail safety. The Trust organises an annual memorial service on the anniversary of the crash. Families and friends of the victims gather with surviving members of the rescue crews in a march through Granville to the Bold Street bridge where the accident occurred. The ceremony ends with the throwing of 83 roses onto the tracks to mark the number of passengers killed. In 2007, a plaque was placed atop the bridge to mark the efforts of railway workers who assisted in rescuing survivors from the train.

Trust members also make submissions on rail safety issues, including recommending that fines for safety breaches be dedicated to rail safety improvements and campaigning for the establishment of an independent railway safety ombudsman.