Rail warning as Adelaide train collision footage released
Dramatic footage of an Adelaide train colliding with a car earlier this year has been released along with figures showing near-misses. See the video.
Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said train near misses and collisions across the state had dropped by close to 50 per cent compared to this time last year, with 79 incidents reported to date.
However, he warned that far too many drivers, cyclists and pedestrians were still careless in negotiating South Australia’s 555 public road level and 471 pedestrian level train crossings.
Koutsantonis released footage captured in April this year where a train and car collided at an intersection of South Road and Cross Road to warn road users about the danger of being unaware of roadway surroundings.
In the incident, the train driver spotted the car on railway lines early enough to rapidly activate the emergency brake meaning the car driver walked away with “minor injuries”.
Koutsantonis said train drivers were being supported in dealing with risks across the network through train simulator training based at Dry Creek where the simulator was loaded with the entire digitised Gawler and Seaford train lines including each station, landscape and track to reflect the environment accurately.
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More than 160 new drivers had been trained using the simulator in the past four years.
Koutsantonis said since SA train operations returned to public hands earlier this year the Infrastructure and Transport Department had become a nationally recognised training organisation.
It currently oversees around 108 rail cars used across the train and tram network that helped transport close to 60,000 commuters each weekday.
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“So far this year we have seen around a 50 per cent drop in near-misses and collisions across South Australia’s rail network, with 79 incidents reported,” Koutsantonis said.
“While this is an encouraging result that the safety message is getting through, there is still plenty of work needed to drive that number down even further. Every near-miss that was reported could have been avoided.
“The shocking vision released today shows how blatant carelessness around our busy railways can put everyone at risk.”
Rail Operations director Mohit Sareen said the training simulator also exposed drivers to changing weather events, unexpected situations and train faults to test problem-solving skills and ensure new drivers were trained to react safely and quickly.
“Our train drivers are tasked with safely carrying around 280,000 passengers every week, yet they are often faced with high-stress situations due to the blatant carelessness of some pedestrians and motorists,” he said.
“While near-miss incidents like those shown today may not result in tragedy, they do leave a lasting mark on those who experience them firsthand.”
Motorists caught disobeying safety instructions or obstructing level crossing infrastructure can be fined up to $2500.
