Rail Safety
Don't put your life on the line
Night and day, 24/7, our people work to deliver millions of tonnes of commodities across our vast continent – safely and reliably.
To deliver our services, our trains need to pass through level crossings where roads intersect with rail corridors.
Every year our train drivers experience near misses and collisions with vehicles at level crossings.
This is not only traumatic for the people involved, but also devastating for our train drivers.
We urge the community not to take risks around the rail corridor – for their safety and for the safety of our train drivers.
Look. Listen. Stop. Survive. Don't put your life on the line.
We are committed to protecting ourselves, each other and the communities in which we operate.
We collaborate with the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and industry partners to improve rail corridor safety by upgrading level crossings and working with communities and schoolchildren to raise awareness of safe behaviours. Additionally, our targeted media and social media campaigns focus on safe behaviour around railway crossings and in the rail corridor.
Watch our rail safety videos urging community members to stay off the tracks and to 'look, listen, stop and survie’. Please share this important safety message with your family and friends.
We also encourage you to download these information sheets about staying safe at private level crossings and near electrified rail lines.
Level Crossings Protocol
Fact Sheet Electrified Rail
Important facts to know…
- Trains are very heavy and can weigh up to 14,000 tonnes or the equivalent of 9,000 cars. This means they take a long time to come to a stop.
- A fully loaded train can take more than two kilometres to come to a full stop or the equivalent of 20 rugby league fields back to back.
- Every year there are more than 1,000 near misses or collisions at level crossings.
- One person on average is killed every ten days in Australia's rail networks.
There are over 20,000 level crossings in Australia. If you take risks, remember that trains cannot stop quickly. Every near miss, incident or fatality on the rail network also impacts our train drivers and put their lives at risk. It can cause severe and ongoing trauma to them and their families.
The message is simple – Look, Listen, Stop and Survive. Don't put your life on the line.
Proud supporter of the TrackSAFE Foundation
At Aurizon we recognise that rail safety must extend beyond just our organisation to educational and community service groups, local and federal government, road users and the broader community.
That’s why Aurizon is one of the founding members of TrackSAFE, a harm-prevention charity dedicated to improving the workplace for rail employees.
Established in 2012 by the Australian rail industry, TrackSAFE offers trauma-related support to rail workers and specialises in rail suicide prevention, as well as level crossing and track safety.
The Foundation has partnered with R U OK? to deliver its major initiative – the annual Rail R U OK? Day – and is striving to create an industry where genuine conversations and strong relationships in the workplace can help us to recognise the signs that someone may be struggling and ask them “are you ok?”.
TrackSAFE also coordinates the annual community awareness initiative – Rail Safety Week – held in August each year, designed to engage the community in safe rail practices.
Learn more about TrackSAFE’s initiatives by visiting the Foundation’s website.