General News
10 July, 2024
Motorists urged to take caution around train lines after near misses
Incidents around Mount Isa have prompted the safety message.
Train drivers on the Mount Isa rail line are appealing for greater vigilance and awareness by motorists and truck drivers, after a number of recent near-misses at level crossings.
The latest near-miss occurred last week at the Mica Creek Road level crossing in Mount Isa when a train narrowly missed a heavy vehicle by metres, leaving both train drivers badly shaken by the incident.
Aurizon, the biggest user of the rail line, identified Mica Creek Road, as well as the crossing at Twenty Third Avenue, as the locations where most near-misses occurred.
“Near-misses can have a huge effect on a train driver as we are aware of how long it takes our train to stop and the potential damage that can occur from a collision,” said Dannielle Horwood, a Mount Isa-based driver trainer for Aurizon.
“The most terrifying experience I have had in my eight-year driving career is a near miss with a cyclist who was riding towards a level crossing at high speed with headphones on and could not hear the horn on my train.
“I braked and they looked up last minute and I knew I was not going to be able to stop despite me applying every brake on the train. I will never forget the look of pure fear on their face before they jumped off their bike sideways and the bike was flung across the road crossing in front of the train.
“The cyclist was not hurt apart from some grazing but it could have been so much worse.
“That is why it is so important for members of our community to switch on around road crossings and understand it takes a long time for a train to stop. Our train crew live in the regional communities in which our business operates. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are putting their lives on the line – and potentially our train crew – if they do not remain vigilant and take that extra care when approaching level crossings
“When our train crew see a vehicle or a person on the tracks, they can’t simply stop or swerve to miss. A fully loaded train carrying freight can take two kilometres to stop, even when the emergency brakes are applied.”