GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY

Ministers agree on road/rail interface reforms

Australia’s Transport Ministers have voted unanimously to approve a national rail reform package, which includes joint audits of level crossing safety risks by road and rail-track owners and operators. The new laws, developed by the National Transport Commission (NTC), require rail operators, rail infrastructure managers, road authorities and the owners/managers of private roads to jointly identify, assess and manage safety risks at level crossings and other road-rail interfaces. The initiative complements existing government programs to improve level crossing protection and educate road users. “With about 100 crashes a year between trains and road vehicles, level crossing safety remains a major public safety issue,” NTC Chief Executive Nick Dimopoulos said.

Draft COAG Report information sessions

Public consultation on the Draft COAG Report on the Chemicals of Security Concern has commenced. The draft report recommends that COAG agree to strengthen security for chemicals that terrorists are most likely to access or target in Australia. To assist with the process, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, in collaboration with the NSW Police Force, are conducting information sessions at various locations in NSW in March. The free information sessions will provide an update on the security environment as it relates to chemicals and will step through the report’s recommendations. Further information and registration details are on the secureNSW website.

Garvoc level crossing upgrades

Minister for Public Transport Lynne Kosky has announced the completion of an $800,000 upgrade to the level crossings at Station Street and Sampsons-Ford Road, Garvoc, significantly improving safety for motorists and rail passengers. Ms Kosky said the level crossings had been upgraded to boost their safety features as part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to improve safety at level crossings across Victoria. “These level crossings previously did not have flashing lights or audible warnings,” Ms Kosky said. “Both crossings now feature flashing warning lights and audible warning bells utilising state-of-the-art technology.”

go card ready to roll into Brisbane

Brisbane public transport users were able to buy the much-anticipated go cards from 21 February 2008 at almost 100 retailers, selected QR Citytrain stations, over the phone or on-line. Minister for Transport John Mickel said that from 25 February, go card users would also be able to take advantage of the go card frequent user scheme on the region’s bus, rail and ferry services. Mr Mickel said use of the card was building gradually as part of the successful region by region roll out.

Mandurah line leads public transport boom

The opening of the Perth-to-Mandurah railway may have triggered a major change in the way Western Australians use public transport, with many more people using the system during the holiday period. Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that during January there were 500,000 more public transport boardings than in the same month a year ago. “Across our whole network of bus, train and ferry services, there were more than 4.8 million boarding’s in January, which is a 13% increase on January last year,” Ms MacTiernan said.

Revised human factors guidelines

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published a statement of its policy on managing risks that result from people’s mistakes. Railways are a safe form of transport, however mistakes made by those who work on the railway, at all levels, can lead to accidents and put health and safety at risk. The statement recognises the statutory responsibilities of employers and staff to manage the consequences of people’s mistakes and draws attention to the “human factors” that can cause mistakes.

GOVERNMENT CONTINUED

Program to improve intercity passenger service

States will be directly eligible for federal funding to support intercity passenger rail services under a new grant program, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced. “We want to encourage and support the kind of state investments that are making a difference for passenger rail services,” Ms Peters said. Ms Peters explained that the $30 million capital grant program is designed to support state efforts to improve intercity passenger rail service and requires a 50-50 funding match like most other transportation investments. Projects that demonstrate an on-time performance standard of 80% or greater, reduce travel time, increase service frequency, or enhance service quality for intercity rail passengers will receive favourable consideration for funding, Ms Peters added.

ORR signals tougher regime for Network Rail

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has set out how it will hold Network Rail to account for meeting tough new targets and delivering a better value for money railway as part of its Periodic Review process. ORR has provided an update on how it will determine Network Rail’s outputs and access charges for the five years from April 2009. It is establishing a framework to drive Network Rail to deliver cost effective and sustained improvements in safety, performance and capacity to the benefit of passengers and freight customers, both at national level as required by Governments in England and Wales and Scotland and at local level to meet the reasonable requirements of train operators.

INDUSTRY

Level crossings workshop

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) - in collaboration with the National Railway Level Crossing Behavioural Coordination Group - convened “ Safer Road User Behaviour at Level Crossings – A National Workshop” on 21 February 2008 in Melbourne, Victoria. The principal goals of the workshop were to inform key stakeholders of the current and future work programs to improve road user behaviour around level crossings as well as to seek input into future directions in relation to road user behaviour at level crossings. Senior representatives from government, industries, enforcement agencies, road research agencies and transport unions discussed the way forward to enhance safety at level crossings for road and rail users.

ACCIDENTS

Trawalla crash truck driver cleared

An Ararat truck-driver standing trial over a fatal crash at a railway crossing in Western Victoria in 2006 has been cleared of all charges. Ivan Jenkins, 57, has been acquitted on all 22 charges due to insufficient evidence. The County Court Judge, Lisa Hannan, directed the jury at Ballarat to find Mr Jenkins had no case to answer. Mr Jenkins was driving a truck that collided with a train at a railway crossing at Trawalla on 28 April 2006. Gwenda Glasson, aged 68, and Victor Greensill, 42, died while 18 others were injured. Mr Jenkins pleaded not guilty to all 22 charges including dangerous driving causing death and recklessly causing injury.

Coupling failure caused derailment

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its final report on the investigation of the derailment that occurred near Seymour in Victoria on 12 September 2006. The ATSB determined that the derailment of a freight train on the Defined Interstate Rail Network near Seymour was due to a wagon coupler that fell onto the track and became caught under a trailing wagon. The train derailed while travelling from Griffith (NSW) to Melbourne. The coupler, connecting the seventh and eighth wagons in the train, became dislodged when the draft key holding the coupler in position slid out following the failure of a locking pin. There have been a number of similar failures involving this type of wagon coupler in the past.