Northern Territory police have confirmed that a cattle truck collided with the second carriage of The Ghan train on Sunday at the Arltunga level crossing.
Emergency services were called to the incident just before 10 am with the driver taken to hospital and the travel plans of hundreds of passengers put on pause.
No injuries have been reported among passengers on board and no cattle were harmed.
Phillipa Edwards, a passenger on the train at the time told NT News that things could have been a lot worse.
“To be honest, if you’re going to be hit by anything at least it’s on the Ghan with a fully stocked bar and excellent staff,” she said
“We didn’t feel it, but we were in Carriage B and I was at the window on that side, so if it had been a few seconds later it could’ve been very different.
“The front of the truck was completely smashed in. It was a massive truck, a huge, huge truck, and all the cows were standing there in the sun hours later.”
Edwards said that Ghan staff did an amazing job keeping everyone calm amid a five-hour wait with no reception.
Guests were eventually transported to Alice Springs by bus and taken to Simpsons Gap for afternoon sightseeing.
Feature image: ABC News – VIDEO: Cattle truck and Ghan train collide north of Alice Springs
