TasRail CEO Steven Dietrich is asking the Tasmanian public what’s it going to take to improve rail safety, after a sharp increase in level crossing incidents in the last six months.
According to Dietrich, reported cases of road users failing to stop or give way at level crossings have nearly doubled across the state in 2023-24, rising from 39 to 68.
The most significant increase was in the north of the state, with 20 incidents reported, up from four in 2022-23.
The north-west, which typically has the highest number of reported incidents, also saw an increase from 31 in 2022-23 to 42 in 2023-24.
“Our train drivers rely on road users obeying road rules at level crossings, trains cannot swerve or stop instantaneously. It’s in your hands,” Dietrich said.
“As a business, we seek to control everything that we can to keep everyone safe. It’s the things outside our control that continue to put us all in jeopardy, in particular human behaviour in and around level crossings.”
“Every year we’ve shown you the stats, we’ve shown you the videos and still this keeps happening. So, we want to know is … What’s it going to take?”
To coincide with Rail Safety Week, TasRail has launched an online video campaign titled What’s It Going To Take, aiming to highlight the impact of poor choices in the rail corridor and at level crossings.
“We’re very proud of our team members who have shared their personal stories as part of this campaign. They all want to go home safe and well at the end of their shift. They all genuinely want to see safety improvements in their communities and for members of the public to go home safe and well to their families,” Dietrich said.
He said the last six months have been tough for the rail industry, with two fatalities in South Australia on New Year’s Eve.
“We don’t want to head down the same track here in Tasmania,” he said.
“We hope that this campaign will be the impetus for changes in public behaviour in and around the rail network and that, with the support of all Tasmanians, we will see a shift in behaviour that we can all be proud of.”
