Residents near the small Tasmanian town of Penguin were woken by the sound of what locals say was a blaring train horn that went on for more than four minutes late last night.
Locals reported the ‘continuously sounding’ train horn coming from a TasRail locomotive on the Western Line near Sulfur Creek around 10pm on Monday.
“Honked at the normal spot but it just kept going,” one resident said, with another adding, “It happened out the front of our place was very loud.”
It is understood the train’s engineer was forced to ‘turn off’ the locomotive to stop the horn.
In a statement to Pulse, TasRail apologised for the ‘unusual disturbance’ and thanked residents for their understanding.
“Last night at Sulphur Creek, near Penguin, the lead locomotive on an eastward-bound TasRail train experienced a technical issue with its horn,” a spokesperson told Pulse.
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“This unusual occurrence resulted in the horn staying on for several minutes before the driver was able to isolate it to stop it from activating.”
“An operating horn is a key safety feature for TasRail trains and public road users.”
“TasRail implemented alternative safety measures between Sulphur Creek and Devonport, where a locomotive changeover occurred.”
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