FORTY-FOUR years ago a crowded commuter train derailed and crashed into the Bold Street bridge at Granville leaving 84 people dead and 213 people injured.
The complex rescue and recovery operation begun on January 18, 1977, lasted nearly 31 hours and had lasting consequences for the response to disasters in NSW.
Yesterday the family and friends of those who lost their lives joined survivors, rescuers, dignitaries and representatives of the emergency services at the annual memorial which included laying wreathes and floral tributes at the memorial wall and dropping roses onto the tracks at the crash site.
Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou paid tribute to members of the Granville Train Disaster Association and the Granville Historical Society for helping to commemorate those who died and those affected by the disaster.
“We remember the families who lost loved ones, those who survived, and the men and women who risked their own lives to save others,” he said.
