One of the most significant advances in the harmonisation of the Australian rail industry is the appointment of a National Rail Safety Regulator, which will replace the current regime of separate state and territory regulators from January 1, 2013.

“The whole project is a very significant reform to the industry,” said Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Director of Government Relations Phil Sochon.

“Historically, the National Rail Safety Regulator is something the ARA has championed since 2004 in response to the need to reduce the significant regulatory burden on rail caused by multiple regulators.

“This represents progress along a road that started with federation and the establishment of safety legislation in every state and jurisdiction.”

The agreed national legislation is to be approved by April next year to enable all states and territories to enact the necessary legislation by January 1 2013. This will allow for the lengthy processes involved in each jurisdiction.

The ARA is coordinating the rail industry input into the draft legislation via a Rail Safety Regulator Working Group comprising senior representatives from major interstate operators from around the country, with advice provided by the Australia Tourism and Heritage Rail Association (ATHRA) and, Laing O’Rourke for the wider construction and maintenance sector.

Industry members are being engaged through the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) Safety Managers Group.
The National Rail Safety Regulator will go live on January 1st, 2013 with regional offices around the nation.

The Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says it raised concerns more than 12 months ago about safety at a level crossing in north Queensland where a man was killed on July 8th, 2010.

A 24-year-old man died and a 28-year-old was seriously injured when their utility and a coal train collided near the Goonyella Riverside mine near Moranbah, south-west of Mackay.

RTBU spokesman Craig Allen says they contacted Queensland Rail last year about poor visibility and requested the access gates to the crossing be locked.

"It went through a couple of levels of management, but obviously there was no actual response to the situation we raised," he said.

"We raised this issue - they chose to do nothing about it."

A woman whose car was hit by a train has said that road workers at the Tawa crossing were holding up a "Go" sign and she thought they waved her across.

The early evening collision closed the Paraparaumu line for more than an hour as the car was cleared from the track. The impact spun her Ford Mondeo around, crumpled its front and ripped its hatchback door from its hinges.

The nurse said she thought she had been waved through by a worker on the other side of the crossing. Trucks at the site blocked her view of the crossing’s barrier arms and flashing lights.  Her attention had been drawn by a green sign saying "Go" on the other side of the tracks.

A spokesman for Wellington Electricity contractors, who were controlling traffic at the time of the accident, said the company took workplace safety very seriously and a "comprehensive investigation" was under way.

Since 1993, more than 100 people have been killed at level crossings in New Zealand. There have been 16 collisions on crossings so far this year.

The rail service between Wellington and Paraparaumu was suspended early in the evening of July 6th, 2010 after an accident at a level crossing near Porirua.

A spokeperson for Tranz Metro said emergency services went to the scene of a collision between a car and a train at a level crossing in Redwood just after 18.00.

They found no one in the car, but police say they arrived shortly after and were able to locate the driver.

All trains on the Paraparaumu line were stopped, and Tranz Metro says it organised buses for most passengers.

The State Government has bypassed fixing Springvale level crossing in favour of investigating a grade separation at St Albans.

This is despite the Springvale Road crossing being ranked the most dangerous in Victoria, now that the Nunawading intersection has been fixed.

The Springvale Dandenong Leader has begun a campaign for answers and action at the level crossing.

For months the newspaper’s website, www.dandenongleader.com.au has been flooded with comments from readers pushing for action.

The crossing also topped a survey in 2008 as Greater Dandenong’s most congested intersection.

Greater Dandenong councillor Roz Blades said an underpass at Springvale was long overdue.

The St Albans crossing is ranked fourth on a government-commissioned list created in 2008 to prioritise crossings that needed upgrades.

Government spokesman Chris Owner said the Government’s own risk assessment was just one of the considerations in identifying crossings for grade separation.

He said improvements at Springvale since the study was released in 2008, including linking traffic signals on Springvale Road to minimise congestion on the tracks, pavement markings and signs, meant the Government would expect to see a lower risk rating in the next survey.