Portuguese millipedes could be to blame for Australian train crash

An investigation is underway to see if a Portuguese millipede infestation contributed to a train crash on the Joondalup line in Perth on Tuesday morning. Three passengers were taken to hospital and another three treated at the scene at about 6.30am after a moving train bumped into a stationary train at Clarkson Station.



Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said millipedes had created similar problems at Wellard railway station in the past and could be seen on the tracks at Clarkson yesterday morning.

“When the train squashes them they tend to make the tracks slimy,” he said. “That’s a phenomenon we’re aware of and we will investigate whether it was a factor at Clarkson.” Mr Hynes said it was not yet clear exactly how the low-speed crash happened.


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“There was one train at the platform and people were getting on and another train came up behind it and bumped into it,” he said. “It was like a very bad park, as if someone just bumped into the car in front of them. One lady has said that she’s got a sore neck so we’ve organised an ambulance for her.” Mr Hynes said the incident had caused minor delays but services were continuing.