Rail Safety Week 2024: Confronting footage shows multiple close calls as government launches new safety campaign

There have been hundreds of near misses reported this year as the state government pleads with people to be safe.

A veteran Adelaide train driver has described the emotional turmoil he and his colleagues face as selfish drivers and pedestrians ignore warnings at level crossings.

It comes as the state government releases confronting footage of close calls between pedestrians, trains and trams on the Adelaide network in a bid to get people to pay attention.

The campaign marks Rail Safety Week 2024, with 123 close calls reported across Adelaide Metro’s train network compared to 132 by this time last year.

There have also been 50 near-misses on the tram network this year.

In one of the clips to be shown at train stations and tram stops, a young child runs past a warning gate, stopping just centimetres from a moving train.

The state government has launched a new campaign highlighting the poor safety practices of pedestrians at rail crossings. Picture: Supplied

This year there have been 173 incidents reported on the train and tram network. Picture: Supplied

Father-of-three Adam Makuch, 38, has driven trains for 12 years, and said pedestrians and drivers ignoring warning signs “on the daily”.

Mr Makuch said he was driving a train at Salisbury last year when a person pushed through electric gates and ran in front of him.

“I’m experienced enough now to just take a step back, get my breath back, and carry on, speak to my bosses, speak to the (employee assistance program).

“We have means of helping us get through scenarios like this but it happens too often.

“It’s on the daily – we shouldn’t have to come to work and worry about, ‘are we going to hit somebody today’.

“It shouldn’t be part of our job.”

Train drivers say even a near miss puts an enormous strain on their mental wellbeing. Picture: Supplied

A pedestrian runs across a train line just seconds from a passing train – which can take up to 500m to stop and travel at speeds of up to 110km/h. Picture: Supplied

Among the released footage, which is now part of the campaign, was a man who jumped an activated pedestrian gate at Broadmeadows on January 19 this year.

It shows the man attempting to cross the tracks seconds before a train – which can travel up to 110km/h and take about 500m to stop – travelled past.

Mr Makuch said incidents like that traumatised drivers.

“It’s very hard. We do lose sleep. It’s a very traumatising event for some drivers,” Mr Makuch said.

“The driver doesn’t even think they’ve missed the person. They are very close.

“Some of those drivers may not ever be the same after that – it’s a life-changing event.

“Some people just don’t look – they cross without looking.

“We see it all.”

Another example of a pedestrian ignoring the crossing signals. Picture: Supplied

A child runs through a safety barrier and stops just centimetres from where a train was travelling past. Picture: Supplied

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said between 2019 and 2023 there were 582 near-misses reported across the state’s railways, with 173 reported so far this year on the train and tram network.

Eleven people were killed between 2019 and 2023.

“The reality is that every one of these was avoidable,” he said.

“It’s no good waving at a driver if something has gone wrong near a rail crossing because the drivers just can’t stop, but they live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.

“And the emotional impact on our drivers of these near-misses is horrific.

“I’m asking South Australians, when you see the footage of the way some people treat our drivers, to think about them as your neighbours.

“When you’re near a rail crossing, if you follow the rules, if you stick by the rules, no one will get hurt.

“These electric trains are very, very quiet and they can be deceptive.

“When you’re crossing a rail line or a tram line, you will always come off second best and most importantly, I want Adam to go home to his family without having to worry about the mental anguish of what could have happened.”