The Committee for Melbourne says that extra train services to cope with burgeoning demand for commuter rail services cannot be satisfied without massive congestion on the highways intersecting the railway at grade. The congestion is politically unacceptable. Therefore, if both the demand for rail travel is to be satisfied and if the road system is to function more effectively, level crossings have to be eliminated.

However, there are 172 level crossings in the Melbourne metropolitan area compared with just eight in Sydney where early attention was given to grade-separating intersections with the railway system.

To eliminate all level crossings in greater Melbourne would require an investment in the region of AUD 17 billion as the cost of grade-separating intersections with the railway in an urban area costs in the region of AUD 100 million.
Current state government plans call for 10 level crossings ingreater Melbourne to be eliminated within the next five years.

(June 27th, 2011)

A collision between a freight train and an articulated truck on an active open level crossing on Jandowae Road in Dalby has been attributed to the inattention of the truck driver. The train knocked the truck to one side causing damage to the level crossing lights which it has been confirmed were working correctly at 09.30 on June 22nd, 2011 when the accident occurred.

(June 22nd, 2011)

New South Wales’ Roads and Ports Minister, Duncan Gay, has told the state parliament that the recent accident on a level crossing in Dubbo highlights the need to continue with safety campaigns to raise public awareness. The Minister added that the incidence of level crossing incidents in New South Wales has, according to the Roads and Traffic Authority, increased.
Against this background the second phase of an awareness campaign targeting rural areas and regional towns is being launched at a cost of AUD 0.170 million.

(June 21st, 2011)

The death of a 75-year-old in a level crossing collision has led to renewed calls for grade separation. The accident driving the call for action occurred at a level crossing adjacent the New England Highway near Cressfield Road, Parkville at 09.40 on June 16th, 2011when the motorist lost control of his trike and was thrown into the path of a train.

The renewed call for action has arisen in nearby Scone because a police car on the way to the accident was delayed while a freight train crossed in front of it at the New England Highway level crossing.

Concerns are exacerbated because long freight trains can sometimes straddle this crossing and also that on Liverpool Street, thereby cutting the town in half.

An AUD 2 million feasibility study into a grade separated solution has received federal government funding but the study hasn’t started yet.

(June 17th, 2011)

Queensland Rail (QR) has released details of a very close call for an impatient motorist at the Haden Road level crossing in Kingsthorpe which lies to the northwest of Toowoomba.

The motorist was stopped in a line of traffic at the active open Haden Road level crossing when he decided that he would overtake the standing traffic and cross the railway. Witness reports suggest that the margin of error was less than three seconds before the train arrived at the level crossing.

Responding to the incident QR’s CEO has targeted the motorist’s wilful violation of the legal requirements for the safe use of level crossings and highlighted the risk of such behaviour having fatal consequences. This is the third near-hit incident in the past month on QR’s western line. Details of the incidents have been passed to the police in the expectation that prosecution will follow identification of the errant motorists.

(June 16th, 2011)

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RT&BU) has highlighted the risks to passengers travelling by both trains and trams at locations where the modes intersect. Prompting the call for action is the third derailment of a tram in ten weeks at a heavy rail level crossing in Glen Iris, Greater Melbourne

The most serious of these incidents which the RT&BU has called “a disaster waiting to happen” occurred when the derailed tram came to a stand straddling the railway lines. This incident, on May 27th, 2011 was at the Burke Road intersection and occurred because a failure in the heavy rail signalling system led to the tram being intentionally derailed.

The derailer system dates back to the 1920s to protect the railway from incursions by trams. However, there are concerns that the configuration of the system is no longer fit for purpose as modern Siemens Combino type trams are heavier and once derailed travel further before coming to a stand, in this latest incident straddling the railway. An earlier incident in March in which a tram was intentionally derailed was also, a Yarra Trams internal investigation has found, a function of a failure of the heavy rail signalling system.

In the past ten years there have been 30 incidents in which trams have derailed at locations where trams and train tracks intersect. However, in recent months there has been a cluster of incidents at the level crossings adjacent to the Gardiner, Glenhuntly, Kooyong, and Riversdale railway stations.

The RT&BU has demanded that the Victoria government takes action to address the root causes of the incidents where trams have derailed and have the potential to compromise the safety of both the tram and rail systems.

The RT&BU’s specific demand is that the traffic light system recently installed at the Glenferrie Road level crossing near the Kooyong train station.

The state government has plans to grade separate the Burke Road level crossing in Glen Iris. However, there is no firm time-frame for this to happen.

(June 7th, 2011)

Burke Road level crossing, Glen Iris, source Google Earth

Concerns have been raised that the ruling Liberal state government is discriminating against the opposition Labor party when choosing where it will invest in level crossing improvements, particularly grade-separations with a hefty price tag.

Those raising the concerns argue that the selection of crossings at which investment is to be made should strictly follow the risk based priorities identified by the state’s Department of Transport. So far the Liberal Government has committed to address two of the top ten list of priority list of level crossings (Springvale Road, Springvale, and Mitcham Road, Mitcham) with construction expected to start in 2013. Additionally the state government has announced the allocation of funds which will address risk at seven other crossings. In total eight of the nine projects announced as going ahead are in seats held by the Liberal party. Of these crossings one (New Street, Brighton) sits as low on the 223rd on the transport department’s prioritised listing of level crossings. Only the Springvale Road, Springfield, level crossing is located in a Labor held constituency.

Unsurprisingly, the failure to follow the risk model’s (ALCAM) ranked outputs has, to use the American term, led to accusations that ”pork barrel” politics is alive and well in Victoria.

(June 5th, 2011)