WATCH: Harrowing near-misses on Qld train tracks

Pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are dicing with death at an alarming rate as Queensland Rail footage reveals terrifying close calls which almost ended in tragedy.

The number of Queenslanders dicing with trains and risking death has gone up by over a third in just one year, as Queensland Rail releases video of the shocking near misses that have left many rail workers rocked to their core.

According to data released by Queensland Rail (QR), drivers, cyclists and pedestrians encountered a near miss with trains on the southeast Queensland rail network a total of 155 times in 2021.

This is up over 37 per cent on the year prior, when QR recorded 113 near misses in the same pocket of the state.

Of the statistics released, QR revealed near misses with persons occurred 98 times in 2021, compared to 77 the year prior, while there were 57 near misses with road vehicles in 2021, compared to 36 in 2020.

Near-misses have escalated by 37 per cent.

Head of South East Queensland Scott Riedel said every single one of those close calls had left those involved traumatised.

“We are releasing this sobering new CCTV footage as a reminder to all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to have their wits about them and stay safe around trains,” Mr Riedel said.

“Every one of those traumatised everyone involved.

“Those people are saving two minutes, a few seconds, (but) they’re putting their lives at risk absolutely.”

QR’s trains can travel at a speed of up to 160km/h, and as such, it is often impossible for the trains to brake with little warning.

“They can’t swerve, and they take a considerable distance to brake,” Mr Riedel said.

“Trains can’t stop for vehicles, vehicles have to obey the red signals.”

The Queensland Rail video shows a number of breath-taking near-misses at stations and level crossings across the state.

Mr Riedel said all 84 level crossings across the southeast were fitted with flashing lights and boom gates, and yet, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians were still choosing to ignore signalling at their own risk.

“We think the issue is vigilance,” Mr Riedel said.

“People are being complacent passing through the red signals. It’s really important to know that when a level crossing has a red signal, there is a train on track.”

In the footage released by QR, one car stupidly enters into the crossing as the boom gate shuts.

The vehicle comes within inches of the train.

It is made to sit and wait there while the train passes through.

Other instances show cyclists and pedestrians brushing with death as they enter onto the tracks just seconds before the train entered into the station.

The penalty for failing to stop at a railway crossing, or damaging or obstructing level crossing infrastructure, can be up to $1,102 and four demerit points for a driver, while pedestrians who ignore warning signals can be fined $275.

Ms Riedel said, however, the ultimate penalty was the cost of a life.

“The biggest penalty is death by running the red flashing lights,” he said.

QR have released footage of some of the closest calls with trains as they urge the community to stay vigilant when approaching a level crossing.

The group often work with Queensland Police, schools and the local community in a bid to help Queensland road users understand the seriousness of their actions when approaching crossings.

“We really need the message to get through for drivers to be vigilant at level crossings … To obey the red flashing lights,” Mr Riedel said.

“Not only is the behaviour terribly unsafe, it is illegal and can also be very traumatising for the driver of the train.”

QR works with its train drivers in the event of a near-miss, and offers time off for drivers to recover from the event.