Details of a 2023 level crossing incident has brought the RTBU to reinforce the need for stricter level crossing safety approaches
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has joined the chorus of bodies calling for a focus on level crossing safety for heavy vehicle drivers following the charging of a Katherine truck driver over a recent incident.
In June last year, a truck driver collided with a full-laden freight train in Katherine, with the RTBU reinforcing the need for a new approach to level crossing safety.
According to NT Police, the truck driver had insufficient room to bring the truck to a controlled stop and tried to accelerate across the tracks, with the driver now being issued with a summons to appear in court.
RTBU assistant national secretary Shayne Kummerfeld says the details of the charges were concerning for workers in the rail industry.
“When stop signs, flashing lights and boom gates still don’t stop people from driving through boom gates, it’s clear that the message on level crossing safety just isn’t getting through,” Kummerfeld says.
“The collision in Katherine could have been much worse. Luckily, everyone escaped with their lives – that time. But as we saw at Bindarrah on New Year’s Eve, these collisions can be fatal.”
Kummerfeld says Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) statistics show there were, on average, more than 500 ‘near misses’ at level crossings every year.
“Rail workers support the call for an urgent national level crossing summit,” Kummerfeld says.
“The current approach is not working, so we need to look at ramping up grade separations, stronger penalties for people who encroach on rail corridors, and other warning technologies.
“Everything needs to be on the table.”