Logistics News

Rail industry urges caution at level crossings

Rail Safety Week sees Aurizon highlight 130 near misses a year

 

Aurizon has used the start of Rail Safety Week to highlight level-crossing behaviour and the lack of options train drivers have when those on the road fail to heed the dangers.

The rail freight giant’s message is that rail safety is everybody’s responsibility but train drivers can only do so much.

“Our train drivers operating across the country continue to see high levels of reckless behaviour at level crossings,” Aurizon MD and CEO Andrew Harding says.

“Over the past year, our drivers experienced more than 130 dangerous near misses at level crossings because of reckless behaviour by motorists.

“We are urging people in all communities to stop taking risks with their lives and the lives of our drivers. If people continue to take risks, it’s only a matter of time before the outcome is fatal.

“For every near miss there is a very real and emotional impact for our drivers and their families.

“When our drivers see a vehicle or a person on the tracks, they can’t simply stop or swerve to miss. Even when the emergency brakes are applied, a fully loaded train can take two kilometres to stop, and the outcome can be devastating.”

Late last year, the company released video of two level crossing crashes, one involving a B-double and another a caravan.


Read how TrackSafe came to New Zealand here


Aurizon’s call to action comes as part of National Rail Safety Week, which starts today. It is the rail industry body TrackSafe’s annual community awareness week held in Australia and New Zealand and designed to engage the community in safe rail practices.

“Over 70 rail, police and government organisations from across Australia and New Zealand have joined the TrackSafe Foundation in celebrating Rail Safety Week, an annual awareness week dedicated to all aspects of rail safety,” TrackSafe patron Tim Fischer says.

Fisher adds that the “are not new, but they continue to be the driving force behind incidents on our railways. We’re urging members of the public to take responsibility for their actions when on and around the rail network, I encourage individuals to take the time to tell a personal story and share rail safety tips with friends and family members”.

More information can be found here.

 

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