Aviation fuel leaked from a damaged pipeline near Sunshine train station. Picture: Mark Stewart Source: News Corp Australia
UP TO 4000 litres of aviation fuel has leaked from a damaged pipeline near railway lines in Melbourne’s west.
MFB Commander Frank Stockton said the spill - near the Sunshine railway station - occurred as workers were trying to transfer the fuel from an old pipeline to a new one being built alongside it.
He said workers were now urgently trying to get fuel flowing through the pipe, which is a crucial fuel link to Melbourne Airport, a task he hoped would be achieved “within the next 24 hours”.
The fuel leak caused disruptions to a number of train services.
It took about 30 MFB firefighters almost an hour to contain the leaked fuel by trapping it in a concrete-lined pit and blanketing it with foam.
Mr Stockton said crews were called to the site about 1.30pm on Sunday after a mishap at the work site caused between 1000 and 4000 litres to seep from the pipe.
“They pressurised the pipeline with nitrogen to put the old product in the new pipeline,” he said.
“They overpressured it, and the fuel has escaped through the safety valve.”
Mr Stockton said train services through the area were stopped for about an hour, resuming when the site became safe about 2.30pm.
Metro’s Sunbury line was suspended between Sunshine and Watergardens, and two V-Line services running between Melbourne and Bendigo were partially replaced by emergency buses at Sunshine station.
More than 100 passengers on the 1.36pm train to Bendigo were forced to wait more than an hour for coaches.
V-Line spokesman Colin Tyrus said buses had been directed to Sunshine as quickly as possible. He said services returned to normal at 2.35pm.
Firefighters remained at the scene into the afternoon, using an industrial vacuum truck to safely remove as much fuel as possible.
But Mr Stockton said some of the product had seeped up to 10 metres into the ground.
“That is subject to an environmental issue now, so we’ve handed over to the EPA,” he said.
Hazmat operators also attended the spill, using specialist equipment to monitor the fuel’s flammability and toxicity levels, as well as weather reports and wind conditions.
They were joined by Exon Mobil staff, who provided expert advice on the product.
Nearby residents were kept updated on the situation.
Melbourne Airport spokeswoman Anna Gillett said the spill had no impact on its operations.
samantha.landy@news.com.au
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