VicRoads, Viactoria’s state highways authority, has begun a review of the traffic congestion caused by level crossings in and around Dandenong. Specifically, VicRoads is soliciting public comment in respect of 11 level crossings on the railway linking Dandenong with Caulfield.

The objective of the VicRoads study is to make recommendations on how best to reduce the traffic congestion at and around the 11 crossings.

(August 31st, 2011)

Greater Dandenong Highway Patrol officers were out in force throughout National Rail Safety Week (August 22nd -18th, 2011) to ensure that motorists did not misuse level crossings. In particular the Highway Patrol officers were on the lookout for motorists who entered a level crossing without a safe exit beyond the crossing and / or who failed to obey level crossing traffic signals.

The Highway Patrol officers issued penalty notices to motorists and pedestrians who crossed tracks when the gates were closed or warning signals were operating and to drivers who failed to stop or give way as required at level crossings in Victoria. Offenders were issued penalty notices imposing an AUD 611 fine and four demerit points.

The greatest concentration of the Highway Patrol was at the level crossing on Springvale and Heatherton roads as these level crossings had the highest incidence of accidents.

(August 29th, 2011)

National Rail Safety Week 2011

Police across New South Wales are involved in a rolling crackdown on motorists who routinely misuse level crossings by entering a level crossing before their exit from it is assured. In addition to enforcement action, variable electronic message boards have been deployed at selected level crossings.

Over an 18-month period to July 2011, New South Wales Police officers issued 465 citations state-wide for level crossing offences.

The campaign is a joint initiative of the New South Wales Police, Transport New South Wales and the state’s Roads and Traffic Authority.

(August 29th, 2011)

National Rail Safety Week 2011

TasRail has been trialling a camera on one of locomotives as a way of identifying motorists and pedestrians who put their lives at risk and those of others by ignoring level-crossing warning signs or travelling illegally along train lines.

Chief executive Damien White says the trial results have been promising and TasRail is exploring the possibility of installing cameras on the new fleet of locomotives currently being procured.

Mr White said that the recorded images would be made available to Tasmania Police to support the prosecution of offenders. Tasmania Police can issue AUD 250penalty notices. However, where the courts are involved the fine for failing to stop as required at a level crossing can go as high as AUD 1,500.

(August 29th, 2011)

TasRail deploys head-end camera

“Stay Clear. Stay Safe” train wrap, source KiwiRail

New Zealand’s NRSW is run by KiwiRail in conjunction with the Chris Cairns Foundation and was officially launched on August 22nd, 2011 with the unveiling of a wrapped train carriage in Auckland and Wellington carrying a graphic rail safety image and the same message “Stay Clear. Stay Safe.”

“National Rail Safety Week is an opportunity for all of us involved in road and rail to encourage drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to be aware of the dangers around rail tracks and level crossings,” says KiwiRail Chief executive Jim Quinn.

KiwiRail upgrades around 10 level crossings a year, but driver behaviour at level crossings shows that more lights, bells and barrier arms are not the only answer.

“Reports from our train drivers show that there have been over 150 near collisions in the past 12 months, with around 78% of those events occurring at crossings protected by automatic alarms,” says Mr Quinn.

“The onus is always on motorists and pedestrians to give way to trains, and they always need to obey the warning signs at level crossings.”

There are 54 level crossings in Hamilton and the Waikato region at which there have been 15 level crossing collisions in the decade to 2011.

This year’s nationwide campaign included a nationwide rail safety road-show, a Napier school visit by Chris Cairns, Police ‘blitzes’ at level crossings, radio advertising and other promotional activities around the regions. A new website, www.railsafety.co.nz, has also been launched to raise awareness and educate the public about rail safety.

“We want to spread the rail safety message to ‘Stay Clear. Stay Safe’ far and wide,” says Mr Quinn.

(August 27th, 2011)

Completion of level crossing upgrades in November 2011 will allow train speeds to be increased on the line linking Ballarat with Maryborough. The level crossings in question were located on Johns Road and Australia Drive in Creswick which had, as a result of their configuration, limited train speeds to 60 kph. The completion of the upgrades at these crossings and closure of a number of passive crossings will allow train speeds to be increased to 100kph.

In addition to the upgrades other safety improvements included the closure of two public roads (Sing Track and Halls Road), three private occupation crossings, and installation of gates at a further three private occupation crossings and gates to four other roads (Kilkenny, Adams, Hull and Walters roads).

There are minor upgrades to happen at two other crossings in the coming months. The first is at Lydiard Street, Ballarat and the other at Clunes that will be completed as the new station is constructed.

(August 26th, 2011)

The Independent Transport Safety Regulator (IRSR) for New South Wales, has, as a contribution to Australasia’s Rail Safety Week, August 22nd to 28th, 2011, drawn attention to the over representation of professional drivers in level crossing accident and incident statistics.

National Rail Safety Week 2011

ITSR has identified that heavy vehicles are responsible for about 23% of rail-related accidents and 30% of fatalities even though this vehicle type accounts for only a small proportion of road traffic – 2.5% of vehicle registrations and 6% of kilometres travelled.

ITSR’s Transport Safety Bulletin contains an analysis of national rail occurrence data gathered by rail regulators, road crash data collected by road authorities and inventory data from rail infrastructure managers over 10 years – from 2000 to 2009.

ITSR is urging the rail industry and heavy vehicle industry are being urged to work together on this important safety issue which exists around the world. This (northern) summer has seen a string of heavy truck – train collisions in the United States, including two collisions with passenger trains which took the lives of six people who were travelling on the train and both truck drivers. .

ITSR will continue to analyse the data and contribute to safety improvement strategies, particularly in areas where the initial data analysis has highlighted issues such as heavy vehicles and crossings without boom gates. Indeed, ITSR has taken the position that efforts to improve safety at level crossings in Australia should focus on heavy vehicles.

ITSR Chief Executive Len Neist said the over-representation in level crossing collisions nationwide of heavy vehicles (over 4.5 tonnes), was a major concern for the rail industry. “The potential for multiple fatalities makes collisions between road vehicles and trains at level crossings one of the biggest safety risks for rail operations in Australia,” Mr Neist said.

“Train employees and passengers account for the majority of fatalities in a these collisions.”

Mr Neist said every effort must be made by the rail and heavy vehicle industries to reduce collision risks.

“There have been too many examples over the years of just how catastrophic a collision between a heavy vehicle and a train can be,” he said.

“Efforts to improve safety at level crossings must now focus on heavy vehicles to mitigate this very real risk to the travelling public.”

The data also showed that while the rate of collisions was on a downward trend – decreasing from 85 per annum to 54 – the number of deaths remains at about 10 fatalities annually.

“Technology offers some real solutions with positive safety outcomes. Many rail operators and road authorities are actively looking at methods, such as ‘radio break-in’ to warn motorists of an oncoming train via their vehicle radio as they approach a level crossing.”

In addition, the federal programme to upgrade level crossings focused on the installation of barriers (boom gates) – a move which is supported by the recent data analysis. ITSR analysed the national data on behalf of the National Rail Level Crossing Group.

“The data shows that crossings with booms are the most effective in preventing level crossing collisions and this is the direction that state and federal upgrade programs must head,” Mr Neist said.

 “At level crossings with boom gates there have been far fewer fatal accidents. The news is not so positive where flashing lights without boom gates, stop signs.

The Transport safety bulletin is available on ITSR’s website at www.transportregulator.nsw.gov.au

(August 25th, 2011)

Cricketing legend Chris Cairns, whose sister was a passenger on a train and killed in a 1993 level crossing collision, was on-hand in Napier to push the National Rail Safety Week message. The initiative in New Zealand is sponsored by KiwiRail and the Chris Cairns Foundation which established to raise awareness of level crossing safety after his sister’s death.

The vehicle for the awareness raising was a graphic display in the Mitre 10 store in Napier. Additionally Chris Cairns gave presentations at two schools, both of

Chris Cairns Foundation manager Megan Drayton said three vehicle-train collisions had occurred in Napier alone in the past two years, so getting Mr Cairns here to spread the word was valuable.

(August 25th, 2011)

National Rail Safety Week 2011

Police in Port Phillip are supporting National Rail Safety Week, August 22nd – 28th, 2011, with increased vigilance at level crossings Motorists who choose to ignore stop lights at level crossings or stop on a level crossing are the principal target. The sanction for these offences is an AUD 610 on-the-spot fine and four.

(August 24th, 2011)

National Rail Safety Week 2011

Queensland Rail (QR) has said that it will test new safety lock gates at five level crossings in Brisbane to stop impatient pedestrians risking their lives. The trial of the new locks comes a month after a pedestrian was killed on the Newmans Road level crossing in Geebung (LXinfo August 2011).

The new lock designed by QR engineers will be tested for one month on pedestrian gates at level crossings in Geebung, Morayfield, Murarrie, Woodridge, and Wynnum Central, at which the highest number of near-misses involving pedestrians have been recorded. If the trial is successful the new safety lock will be installed state-wide.

(August 23rd, 2011)

KiwiRail in conjunction with the Chris Cairns Foundation launched a new nationwide awareness campaign for National Rail Safety Week - and it is the trains in the big cities that will be carrying the core message "Stay Clear. Stay Safe."

In Auckland and Wellington two train carriages were unveiled with graphic rail safety images of a car having crashed through a lowered barrier into the side of the train.

KiwiRail wraps trains for National Rail Safety Week

Rail safety campaigner and former international test cricketer Chris Cairns says the graphic is shocking and is the worst case scenario for a rail collision, but he hopes it is one that people will take notice of and think about.

“Collisions at railway level crossings have the potential to be catastrophic. We hope that when people see this image they will remember the simple steps they can follow to keep themselves safe around the railway.”

He says the onus is always on motorists and pedestrians to give way to trains, and that they always need to obey the warning signs at level crossings. “Trains can’t stop in a hurry, and they certainly can’t swerve to avoid a car or person on the tracks.”

KiwiRail Chief executive Jim Quinn says there have been 16 vehicle collisions at public level crossings in the past twelve months with one fatality.

“We want these avoidable incidents to stop,” he says. “Not only do they cause immense harm to the people involved, but they also have a terrible impact on our locomotive engineers who drive the trains. These guys don’t want to turn up to work and have to witness some of the horrific things they encounter.”

Mr Quinn says he is also concerned about the number of reports of motorists who queue across level crossings, and that this year’s campaign is also focusing on changing this behaviour.

“People should always leave room for their vehicle on the other side of the crossing before they drive across – otherwise they run the very real risk of the barrier coming down on their car, or in a worst case scenario being hit by an oncoming train.”

Reports from train drivers show that there have been almost 150 near collisions in the past 12 months, with around 78% of those events occurring at active crossings.

Suzanne Butters attended the launch of National Rail Safety Week in Wellington, along with her 11-year-old son Joseph. In 2004 Joseph was traveling in a vehicle that was hit by a train at an active open crossing. He suffered a severe brain injury and was in a rehabilitation centre for three months following the collision.

Suzanne is sharing their family’s story to raise awareness about the risks around the railways and to show people the impact that collisions can have. “People just need to take their time at level crossings, and always pay attention, because the consequences are just not worth it,” she says.

This year’s nationwide campaign will also involve a nationwide rail safety road show being conducted by KiwiRail, radio advertising and other promotional activities around the regions.

A new website, www.railsafety.co.nz, has also been launched to raise awareness and educate the public about rail safety. It also includes links to resources for primary schools on the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) website.

The campaign is supported by Greater Wellington Regional Council, KiwiRail, NZ Police, Veolia Transport, Auckland Transport, Tranz Metro, NZTA and the NZ Automobile Association.

The Chris Cairns Foundation is a charitable trust that aims to raise public awareness of the responsibility each and every one has when approaching level crossings on New Zealand's rail network. Through awareness and education its aim is to reduce loss of life, harm and suffering for the victims of rail accidents.

(August 22nd, 2011)