Granville train disaster: Survivors commemorate 40th anniversary of Australia's worst train tragedy

Granville train disaster’s 40th anniversary was commemorated by survivors and relatives of those killed in the tragedy in western Sydney on Wednesday. As many as 83 people were killed and 213 others were wounded in the incident that occurred in 1977.

The horrifying tragedy occurred after a commuter train derailed near Granville railway station and a bridge collapsed, crushing the carriages. The names of the deceased were read out as the bell chimed at 8:10AM, the time the bridge had collapsed forty years ago.

As reported by AAP (via Sky News), Premier Mike Baird and Transport Minister Andrew Constance will be among the survivors and relatives of the victims later in the day. The New South Wales government will issue a formal apology to those whose lives were affected by the incident when it sits next month, Constance said.

Among those who survived the incident was Sandra Lucre. The then 23-year-old embarked the train at Penrith and was in the first carriage. She had sustained only minor injuries and was “one of the lucky ones.”

“The engine derailed and dragged the first carriage with it,” she said. She added she was pregnant with her son at the time. “He’ll be 40 in October — and that got me through, but I've had nightmares on and off and I still do,” she said.

David Ward’s two sisters, 11-year-old and eight-year-old, and grandparents were killed in the incident. The victims were visiting from England. Ward, who was four years old at the time, will be bestowed with four medallions in honour of the family members he lost in the tragedy. “It's a day of reflection. I'll be catching the train to Granville at about the same time it happened 40 years ago,” he said, as reported by ABC News.

According to subsequent inquiries into the matter, a lack of investment in maintenance of the infrastructure was highlighted as one of the reasons for the incident. In excess of $10 million was paid to the victims and their families by the former NSW State Rail Authority.

Earlier this week, Constance said, “Obviously everyone's deeply sorry for what has occurred. Over the years, people have had to cope with what was one of the most horrific tragedies in the nation's history.”