Freight train blamed for grass fire

UPDATE

A freight train has been blamed for a grassfire that shut down the Seymour and Craigieburn lines last night.

Fifteen CFA units were called to the blaze, which burnt a significant area of land near the train tracks last night.

The Craigieburn and Seymour lines were shut down for two hours, leaving passengers stranded.

V/Line trains had no role in starting the fire, as earlier mooted.

V/LINE STATEMENT

V/Line rejects claims that a V/Line of train caused a grassfire at Craigieburn last night.

Our Network Customer Centre was notified of a grassfire near Craigieburn at around 6:15pm and the CFA requested V/Line trains to be held as a safety precaution.

A freight train with a faulty brake was in the area when the blaze started.

• The 17:11 Southern Cross to Seymour service terminated at Craigieburn Station and coaches were organised for customers to continue their journey.
• The 17:37 Southern Cross to Seymour service terminated at Coolaroo and the 18:30 Seymour to Southern Cross terminated at Wallan and coaches were organised.
• The 18:02 Southern Cross to Albury was delayed more than two hours because it was held at Somerton loop and did not have access to a platform to allow customers to alight safely.

V/Line is not involved in the investigation.