“I want to take this opportunity, 40 years on from that sad and horrific day, to acknowledge and apologise on behalf of the State Government to all those who still suffer today as a consequence of what happened.”
These were the words of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier today as she fronted those directly affected by the 1977 Granville Train disaster in Western Sydney. Family members of victims were in attendance, so too were the first respondents and hospital staff.
Today is the first time the State Government has apologised for the disaster that claimed the lives of 83 people and should never have happened.
Early on the morning of January 18, 1977 a crowded eight-carriage train left Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains. The morning commuters were on board, travelling to work in Sydney’s city.
Two hours later, at 8:10am, the train was approaching Granville railway station when the first carriage left the rails.
It collided with a row of pillars, weakening the support of the Bold Street bridge above. The pillars were made of steel and concrete and the first carriage splintered on impact disconnecting from the train. Eight people were killed instantly.
The rest of the train ground to a halt, with second carriage stopping just clear of the overpass. This meant the third and fourth carriages were directly beneath the bridge when it collapsed. It was a string of devastating events all caused by poor trackwork.
“There are tragic days in history which have a lasting impact on our collective memory,” Premier Berejiklian said today.