Safety case studies

ONRSR’s confidence in its strategy and priorities is supported by the findings of a recent review into its efficiency and effectiveness as a national regulator.

ONRSR is advocating for a funding proposal for a High-Risk Turnout Program, which will see the introduction of engineering controls to reduce the risk of overspeed through turnouts at key locations across the Sydney Trains network.

ONRSR has been studying emerging trends in drug and alcohol use in a bid to understand how they are reflected in the rail industry and discuss what can be done to ensure testing regimes remain as effective as possible in identifying and managing the risk.

ONRSR has prepared this case study to demonstrate how a fictional tourist and heritage railway applies the Code of Practice: Train Visibility at Level Crossings to their unique railway operation.

At around 1:30am 25 February 2021, a Pacific National freight train consisting of three locomotives and almost 40 wagons, including some carrying dangerous goods, derailed at Nana Glen, 600 km north of Sydney. One train driver sustained minor injuries, and rolling stock, freight and a large section of railway were damaged.

At approximately 11:25am on Sunday, 24 March 2024, a heritage rolling stock section car and a road vehicle (4WD) collided at a level crossing on the New England Highway in Southwestern Queensland. The two occupants of the section car sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. At the time of the incident the level crossing infrastructure was in full working order.

Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA) is overseeing one of Australia’s largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects, comprising a 90-kilometre railway linking every major rail artery across the Victorian capital. Multiple early works sites have been established and the project is transitioning into major works delivery.

On New Year’s Eve 2023 a fully laden freight train travelling from Sydney to Perth collided with a B-Double truck at a level crossing on the Barrier Highway near Bindarrah, South Australia approximately 80 km west of Broken Hill. The driver of the truck was unhurt in the collision but the two train drivers were fatally injured.

On 20 February 2020, a passenger train travelling from Sydney to Melbourne derailed on entry to the crossing loop at Wallan, north of Melbourne. Two rail safety workers received fatal injuries and several passengers were transferred to hospital. At the time of the incident signalling in the area was not operational, with passage of trains being controlled through a system of manual train authority working.