An official inquiry into the death of a New Zealand worker on a Sydney rail line has recommended systems improvements to avoid a similar tragedy.
Tamati Grant was cleaning track when he was hit by a train just after 1am on April 13 2010, near Kogarah train station.
Four other workers in the cleaning team managed to scatter from the path of the train but the 59-year-old grandfather was fatally injured as he tried to climb onto a platform.
The New South Wales Office of Transport Safety Investigation's report into the incident says its main cause was the area controller did not identify that the passenger train had departed nearby Hurstville and was heading towards Kogarah.
"The driver had not been informed of the presence of workers on the track at Kogarah," the report said.
The area controller telephoned the customer service attendant at Kogarah station and asked for an announcement to be made over the public address system to alert the track workers to the danger of the oncoming train.
"This process took up valuable seconds and resulted in insufficient time for the track workers to comprehend the situation and then react to the warning," the report said.
The report recommended that RailCorp implements regular training for area controllers using an emergency radio system.
It also recommended improvements to the network's signal management system.
Mr Grant's brother Ken Mihaere told the Sydney Morning Herald from New Zealand he hoped the spotlight on the failures would improve safety conditions for workers like his brother.
"My brother's life should not have to have been taken like that," he said.
NZN