A CNG gas bus cylinder explosion in Brisbane at the weekend is under investigation
January 23, 2012
A CNG-powered bus explosion at Brisbane City Council’s Virginia Depot forced major disruptions to the city’s services at the weekend, with 33 vehicles still off the road today while investigations into a tank rupture continues.
Brisbane Transport removed 569 compressed natural gas-powered buses from service on Saturday following a gas tank rupture during re-fuelling.
There were no injuries as a result of the incident however two buses sustained some damage.
The incident appears to relate to pressure inside the CNG tank, and consequently all CNG buses will be half-fuelled until further notice to allow fuel inside the tanks to settle prior to service on the road.
Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Graham Quirk told a Brisbane media outlet that the city council was progressively moving back to diesel-powered buses.
Most of the city’s 1,100 buses had returned to duty today at the start of school term in Queensland.
The gas cylinder explosion follows an incident in Sydney last year involving a CNG-related fire on an STA bus which shut the city’s transport system down.