A quad bike rider came within moments of being struck by a freight train after using railway tracks as a shortcut in northern Tasmania.
TasRail released footage of the near-miss on Friday, showing the rider – who was not wearing a helmet – scrambling to get off the operational Bell Bay Line as the train approached.
The state-owned rail operator said the train horn likely saved the rider’s life.
“We assume it was the horn that alerted this helmet-less quad bike driver to the train bearing down on them so that they could take evasive action,” TasRail said.
“How many times do we have to tell you – there’s no such thing as a safe short cut in the rail corridor.”
It is the second such incident in less than three weeks.
On December 29, an off-road vehicle with a child in the passenger seat was filmed driving directly on tracks near Railton on the western line.
That driver has been reported to Tasmania Police.
TasRail’s frustration is evident, with the freight operator using the hashtag #trainscantswerve in its public safety warning.
The incidents come as TasRail’s latest annual report reveals a sharp increase in dangerous behaviour around the state’s rail network.
Level crossing failures – where motorists fail to stop or give way to trains – doubled from 68 in 2023-24 to 137 in 2024-25.
Trespass incidents remain high at 82, while vandalism and theft has more than doubled since 2018-19.
Actual collisions at level crossings remain rare, with two recorded last financial year.
But TasRail has warned that near-misses put lives at risk – including those of train crews who cannot stop or swerve in time.
“Tracks are for trains, not recreational vehicles,” TasRail said. “Please people, stop, think and act safely around our trains.”
