WHY IT WONT BE THE LAST!
A freight train derailed on Mary Gilmore Way after a collision with a truck carrying livestock last Friday morning, reigniting local concerns about the safety of an unregulated level crossing known for previous accidents. The incident highlights the ongoing debate over funding for passive versus active railway crossings in regional Australia.
Truck and Freight Train Collide, Six Carriages Derail
The collision happened around 6:45 a.m. on Friday, September 26, at a level crossing on Mary Gilmore Way near Bribbaree. A B-double truck, transporting approximately 300 sheep, collided with a freight train, forcing six grain carriages off the tracks. Two people in the truck, a male driver in his 30s and a female passenger in her 20s, were assessed by paramedics at the scene. The driver was uninjured, while the passenger was taken to Young Hospital with minor injuries to her head, left side, and leg. The train driver also avoided serious injury.
According to NSW Ambulance Chief Inspector Peter Rowlands, the incident serves as a stark reminder for drivers to be vigilant when travelling into the sun, which may have been a contributing factor. The collision caused a significant diesel spill from the truck, and emergency crews, including the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW, were on site working to contain it.
Hume Police District officers have launched an investigation into the crash’s cause. Mary Gilmore Way was closed in both directions for 24 to 48 hours as crews worked to clear the site and right the derailed carriages. Tragically, several sheep died in the crash, while the survivors were moved to a nearby paddock for veterinary care.
A History of “Band-Aid Solutions”
The level crossing on Mary Gilmore Way has a history of serious incidents and is notorious among locals for all the wrong reasons.
Cootamundra MP Steph Cooke, in an official statement, emphasised that the community has repeatedly called for the installation of boom gates and flashing lights at this crossing to prevent accidents and save lives.
This latest crash adds to a grim tally of previous collisions at the same location. In February 2020, a truck hit a freight train, leading to a derailment, and in December 2022, another prime mover collided with a train, with the driver escaping injury. These incidents took place just a few kilometres from where two men, Ethan Hunter and Mark Fenton, tragically lost their lives in a separate collision in February 2021. Their deaths sparked a statewide campaign for improved rail crossing safety, led by Hunter’s fiancé, Maddie Bott.
In 2023, as part of a state government trial, the Bribbaree crossing was “upgraded” with radar-activated LED stop signs and warning signs. However, as Ms Cooke noted, this crash makes it clear that such “band-aid solutions” are not enough. The speed limit on the approach is 100 km/h, and drivers have reported that the early morning sun makes visibility nearly impossible.
Passive vs. Active Crossings: A Funding Disparity
The Bribbaree crossing is an example of a passive crossing, which relies on drivers to be aware of and obey “Stop” or “Give Way” signs. In contrast, active crossings use lights, bells, or boom gates to warn road users of an approaching train. The vast majority of Australia’s over 23,000 railway crossings—approximately 79%—are passive, many of them in regional and rural areas. While there’s a national push for improved rail safety, the funding to upgrade these crossings remains a significant hurdle. Upgrading a passive crossing to an active one with lights and boom gates can cost hundreds of thousands to over a million dollars.
Government programs, such as the Federal Government’s Regional Australia Level Crossing Safety Program, aim to address this with funding for upgrades. However, these programs often require state and local government contributions, creating a fragmented and sometimes slow-moving process.
The tragedy at Bribbaree; like others before it, highlights the disproportionate lack of funding for these critical rural crossings compared to major infrastructure projects. While a trial of new technology was undertaken, the community’s calls for a permanent, robust solution have gone unheeded, leading to another preventable accident. The latest crash underscores the urgent need for a more comprehensive and better-funded approach to rail crossing safety in regional Australia.
– Tully Potts
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