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Posted by Allen Newton
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01 Sep, 2026
A DOUBLE‑stacked intermodal freight train has struck a bridge on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie‑Boulder, damaging several containers and disrupting both freight and passenger operations on the busy east–west corridor.
The incident occurred early on Monday morning near West Kalgoorlie, where a Pacific National service was undertaking a reversing movement to clear the path for the Transwa Prospector.
During the manoeuvre, a double‑stacked container consist impacted the Great Eastern Highway bridge, triggering an on‑site network response and forcing the temporary closure of the highway.
According to reporting in the Kalgoorlie Miner, the collision has “reignited calls for the long‑planned Kalgoorlie–Boulder rail realignment project to finally proceed”, with local stakeholders arguing that the current alignment creates avoidable safety and congestion risks for both rail and road users.
No injuries were reported, but several containers were destroyed or structurally compromised.
The Prospector service was held at West Kalgoorlie before being returned to the station, with passengers transferred to road coaches.
The Kalgoorlie Miner noted the incident has intensified pressure on government and industry to address long‑standing concerns about freight movements through the city, quoting local voices who say the crash highlights “the vulnerability of ageing infrastructure and the need for a modernised rail corridor”.
ARTC and Pacific National personnel attended the site to assess the bridge and rollingstock.
As of Tuesday morning, neither operator nor the ATSB had issued a public statement, and no occurrence had yet been published on the ATSB website.
The east–west line through Kalgoorlie is one of Australia’s most critical freight corridors, carrying intermodal, minerals and bulk commodities between Perth and the eastern states.
Double‑stacked services, while routine on parts of the route, require strict vertical‑clearance management, particularly around legacy infrastructure.
Further updates are expected once engineering assessments are complete and formal regulatory notifications are issued.
