Tranzrail staff were this afternoon working on buckled railway lines at the scene of a crash earlier today where a train hit a truck towing a house.
The crash happened just before 5am today on the Fletcher St controlled railway crossing north of Huntly township.
A Waikato House Removals truck carrying a three-bedroom newly-built house was about half-way over the railway tracks when the driver saw the train coming. He immediately tried to reverse the truck and trailer unit, but was unsuccessful. He managed to position the unit’s coupling onto the middle of the tracks.
When the train hit the truck, the cab of the truck was pushed several metres northwards and front sections of the house were sheared off. The trailer and coupling were extensively damaged, as was the truck cab. The truck driver escaped uninjured.
Later this morning the house was positioned on temporary jacks and then placed by crane on another truck and trailer unit. But it will remain parked on the side of the road due to a three-day wait for a new permit to move it. All house removals require permits.
Police will be interviewing the drivers of the truck and the train and the driver of the pilot vehicle that was accompanying the house removal truck. It is customary during house removals that the pilot radios the truck driver to alert them to any upcoming hazards or road conditions.