A ‘perfect storm’ of tragic circumstances led to the deaths of a toddler and her heroic father when a pram rolled onto the tracks, a rail safety expert has claimed.
The stroller, carrying two-year-old twins, rolled onto the railway tracks at Carlton train station in Sydney’s south at around 12.25pm on Sunday.
The twins’ father, 40-year-old Anand Runwal, jumped from the platform in a brave attempt to save the twins, but a passing train collided with the vehicle, killing both the father and one of the twins.
Mr Runwal’s wife, Poonam, watched in horror and screamed for her husband and children as another commuter held her down, while police jumped onto the tracks to find her family.
Miraculously, one of the twin girls was pulled from under the train and survived the accident ‘with barely a scratch’.
Michael Maartensz, principal owner and consultant at Railway Safety 101, told Daily Mail Australia the horrific accident was caused by a “tragic combination of circumstances”.
According to Mr Maartensz, it appeared that the pram had been left unattended for a short time and that a gust of wind, combined with the slope of the platform, pushed the pram onto the rails.
Anand Runwal and his wife Poonam Runwal moved to Sydney in October 2023 with their two-year-old twin daughters
The pram, carrying two-year-old twin girls, rolled onto the railway tracks at Carlton train station in Sydney’s south on Sunday
The twins’ father heroically jumped onto the tracks to save his daughters, but was struck by a passing train, killing him and one of the little girls
The safety manager, who previously worked as Senior Rail Safety Officer at the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, said passenger doors could have prevented the accident.
Passenger or platform doors weigh 175 kilograms, are about 2.5 meters high and 170 meters long. They form a barrier between the platform and the rails.
NSW Sydney Metro has rolled out the safety measures at its eight new city stations, including Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street, Central, Waterloo and Sydenham.
According to Mr Maartensz, passenger screen doors are the ‘ultimate solution’ to prevent fatal accidents at train stations.
“If there had been screens on the passenger doors, this tragic accident could have been prevented, there is no doubt about that,” said Mr Maartensz.
‘They are designed to prevent people from accidentally getting too close to moving trains at train stations.
“In this case, the stroller would have simply hit the passenger door and stopped. That’s the ultimate solution.”
However, he claimed that the government has no desire to install passenger doors at existing stations as it is too expensive.
“It’s really not on their radar. It would cost a lot of money, but man, it would definitely save lives and in this case it would have saved two lives,” Mr. Maartensz said.
‘It is simply a pity that such railway infrastructure is not yet available on all networks.’
Lead owner and Railway Safety 101 consultant Michael Maartensz told Daily Mail Australia the horrific accident was caused by a ‘tragic combination of circumstances’
Mr Maartensz said passenger screens, such as those installed on the NSW Sydney Metro Network (pictured), are the “ultimate solution” to preventing unintended deaths at stations.
According to Mr Maartensz, other safety measures, such as warning signs for parents with prams or even a ledge at the edge of the platform, are also ideas that could help prevent deaths.
“It wouldn’t cost too much if we had signs made to make parents aware of the dangers of pushchairs on platforms,” said Mr Maartensz.
‘In this case, the parents with the stroller used the elevator to get to the platform.
‘Perhaps a sign in the elevator warning them not to leave their strollers unattended and to use the stroller brakes on the platform could have made them extra vigilant.’
Police are investigating how the stroller was able to roll and suspect that a simple ‘gust of wind’ caused the accident.
Mr Maartensz said the Office of the National Railway Safety Authority would also launch an independent investigation into the deaths at Carlton Station.
Mr Maartensz said the investigation will determine the cause of the incident and make important recommendations for the industry on how to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
“It is a serious incident with fatalities. The operators and the sector will undoubtedly take this seriously,” said Mr Maartensz.
“The operators take note under these serious circumstances and I believe they will implement the recommendations, or at least part of them.”
Mr Maartensz suggested that warning signs be placed at train stations to alert parents with prams of the dangers on the platform (pictured are Anand and Poonam Runwal with their twin daughters, minutes before the tragic accident).
SSydney Trains CEO Matthew Longland told Sunrise on Monday he did not want to speculate on the outcome of the police investigation, but that recommendations to improve safety would be considered.
“Our first priority is to support those involved and cooperate with the investigation so that we have all the relevant facts and can fully understand the incident,” Mr Longland said.
‘We will consider all recommendations that come out of the investigation. I would like to remind everyone to take extra care on platforms when travelling on the railway.
‘Stay behind the yellow line and stay well away from the edge of the platform. Train stations are very dangerous places.’
Mr Runwal and his wife Poonam moved from India to Sydney with their twin daughters in October 2023 after he found a job with an IT company in North Sydney.