TasRail has hit out at a driver whose ute was found stopped across live railway tracks.
A track inspector came across the white ute blocking the South Line and photographed it from the cab of their own vehicle.
The image shows the ute stopped across a curved section of single track running through bushland, with a person standing beside it.
It is not known why the vehicle was on the tracks.
TasRail shared the photo on social media as a warning about the dangers of entering the railway corridor.
“Imagine if, instead of a track inspector’s vehicle, this trespasser and their vehicle had come face-to-face with a train on our busy South Line?” the operator wrote.
“Any way you look at it, it wouldn’t have been a pretty picture. Would it?”
TasRail urged people to stay out of the railway corridor, saying it was “not a safe shortcut” at any time or for any distance.
The operator said train times can vary widely depending on customer needs and shipping schedules, meaning people should never assume the tracks are clear.
It also reminded the public that trains cannot swerve to avoid people or vehicles.
“Keep out of the railway corridor,” TasRail said.
