Investigators have finished preliminary work at the site of a train that derailed north of Melbourne, killing two, with plans underway to remove the wreck.
The train's driver, 54-year-old Canberra resident John Kennedy, and his pilot, a 49-year-old man from Castlemaine in Victoria, died when the Sydney to Melbourne XPT diesel locomotive and five carriages derailed at Wallan on Thursday night.
Eleven of the train's 160 passengers were also injured.
Investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau spent Saturday examining the scene of the derailment, looking at the maintenance of the train and railway as well as signalling data.
The track and train were then handed back to their respective owners: the federal body in charge of track maintenance, the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), and Transport for NSW, which operates the XPT service.
The scene of an XPT train derailment at Wallan, north of Melbourne. Source: AAP
A spokeswoman for the ARTC said it was preparing the site "for the recovery and safe removal of the train carriages and locomotives".
"The site is being carefully controlled to ensure the safety of all those who are now involved in the site recovery and repair," she said.
"We acknowledge that the community wants to understand what caused the accident.
“We are providing full support to the ongoing investigation which will look at all potential factors."
The spokeswoman would not comment on any potential causes, though speed is a factor being looked at.
It was reported the train was supposed to slow to 15km/h as it was diverted through a different part of track near Wallan station.
Some passengers from the XPT have said it was speeding when it derailed.
A Sydney man described "hanging on for grim death" as the train came off the tracks.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union said the train came off a section of track awaiting maintenance.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack speaks to the media during a press conference at the scene of an XPT train derailment in Wallan North. Source: AAP
"Conditions were altered and V/Line drivers rightly refused to traverse this section over the past week," secretary Luba Grigorovitch said.
But Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack was not aware of complaints by drivers about the safety of the section of the track.
"No authority would let passengers travel on unsafe track," he told reporters at the scene.
"We will ensure that proper answers are found for the bereaved families and making sure these sorts of things don't happen again."
It's expected to take days to clear the tracks, with buses set to replace all Seymour, Shepparton and Albury train services until further notice.
The ATSB is to release a preliminary report in about a month, ahead of a final report in 18 months.
