Crossing crash a mystery

The cleanup will take five days and the track will have to be rebuilt after the Melbourne train crash. Photo / Supplied

The driver of a Melbourne train involved in a fatal collision with a truck at a level crossing remains in an induced coma in hospital.

Workers began clearing the scene yesterday as three separate investigations were underway into the crash at Dandenong South.

A preliminary safety investigation has found no faults with the rail network.

Police say a truck smashed through boom gates and into the path of a six-carriage Metro service at the Abbotts Rd crossing at 11.42am (local time).

The crash killed one man and sent 13 others, including the train driver, to hospital.

Metro spokeswoman Leah Waymark described the driver's condition as "serious" and said he remained in an induced coma.

Waymark said workers had cleared one of the carriages and were building an access road so heavy vehicles could enter the area. The clean-up was expected to take about five days and the track would have to be rebuilt.

Transport Safety Victoria director Alan Osborne said preliminary results from the crash scene revealed that nothing was wrong with the train, the rail or the level-crossing warnings before the crash happened.

"There's nothing at this stage that is leaping out at us saying there was a problem with the infrastructure," he said. "Certainly from witness accounts we know the lights were working, the bells were working and the boom gates were down ..."

Police have interviewed and released the 69-year-old truck driver. A police spokeswoman said no charges were laid and the investigation was continuing.