A probe into a major train derailment caused by a thief's van that was stranded on the tracks has found calls alerting authorities minutes before the smash were not treated as an emergency.
Four people were injured - one seriously - in the derailment, when a passenger train on the NSW south coast line hit the van at Kembla Grange, near Wollongong, early on October 20, 2021.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Friday handed down its final report on the incident, which ultimately stemmed from criminal activity.
Allan Martin Simpson, 47, was sentenced to spend at least 30 months behind bars after pleading guilty in the NSW District Court to a string of offences after abandoning his van on the tracks on the day of the derailment.
He earlier stole a go-kart from a nearby raceway and, in the process, moved two CCTV cameras so they no longer faced a rail crossing on a local road.
While trying to retrieve the cart with his van, which he was driving despite being disqualified, the vehicle became stuck on the tracks a short distance from the crossing.
The train crashed into the van shortly after 4am while travelling at more than 90km/h, derailing two carriages, seriously injuring the driver and resulting in nearly $8 million in damage.
The safety bureau said the incident, which led to one carriage tipping on its side, jackknifing and separating from the rest of the train, "shed light on a number of broader safety factors".
"A member of the public called triple zero to alert police of a vehicle on the rail line about four minutes before the accident but this was not treated as an emergency by all parties involved," investigator Jim Modrouvanos said.
Sydney Trains was also alerted to the emergency before the accident, but the call was passed through several parties before the train driver was called and did not answer.
"This process of reporting was not consistent with Sydney Trains' network incident management plan, and not all parties in the process treated the call as an emergency," Mr Modrouvanos said.
Another issue was that Sydney Trains security failed to spot that CCTV cameras in the area had been manipulated by Simpson.
The cameras were moved to face directly downwards about 45 minutes before the collision.
Training to improve communication during emergencies and a CCTV software upgrade had been rolled out since the derailment.
Sydney Trains was developing an alarm system that could detect incidents such as the tampering, the bureau said.
