Woman injured after car collides with Kuranda Scenic Rail

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union react after a woman has been injured following her car colliding with a train in Far North Queensland.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union have spoken out after a woman has been injured following a traffic incident on Collins Ave this morning after a car collided with the Kuranda Scenic Rail.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed the driver of the car, a female in her 20s, was transported to Cairns Hospital in a stable condition.
“She looks to be in a stable condition,” the spokeswoman said.

She confirmed no passengers from the train were injured.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokesman confirmed two crews were on the scene to assist.

Paramedics transported a woman in her 20s to Cairns Hospital after her car crashed into the Kuranda Scenic Rail on Collins Ave in Edge Hill. Picture: Isaac McCarthy

“All passengers moved from the affected train carriage to another train carriage,” the spokesman confirmed.

A staff member from Kuranda Scenic Rail confirmed the incident had occurred but did not provide further details.

Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Peter Allen said today is another example of why delays to remove dangerous level crossings risk the community’s safety and their lives.

“Tragedies like these affect whole communities: the train crew, on-board staff, those workers who come to help, manage, repair and clean up, the passengers who witnessed this horrible event as well as the driver of the car,” Mr Allen said.

“The incident in Collins Ave would be an avoidable one if local councils and the State Government had taken up the RTBU’s call to immediately start removing dangerous crossings like this one in Cairns.

“This level crossing doesn’t even have boom gates and has a long history of close calls and collisions.”

Mr Allen said the union had identified 7 dangerous level crossings in Cairns that need removal and we will continue to ramp up the pressure on the Government unless we see a real plan to remove them.

Western Australian tourist Kirsten Twining, a passenger on the Kuranda Scenic Rail, said she hoped the driver was okay.

“We didn’t feel much, just the brakes after the train hit the car. Hopefully the driver is okay,” she said.

The crash follows a similar incident last year where a car crashed into the side of the Kuranda Scenic Rail, in Cairns North.

Queensland Police Acting Senior Sergeant Brendon Skerke said the road could be closed for an hour.

“Early indications show this vehicle was travelling eastbound on Collins Ave, and has missed the lights,” Act Snr Sgt Skerke said.

“By the time the driver saw the lights and realised the train was coming, the train, which was heading north at the time, struck the vehicle on its side and spun it off the track.

“The driver suffered injuries that you’d expect with an incident like this but there’s nothing to indicate they’re life threatening at this time. There’s no indication anyone on the train has been injured.

“Once Queensland Rail engineers have cleared the train of damage we’ll move it out of the way. I anticipate that will be in about an hour or two.”

The incident follows a Cairns Post poll last year asking members of the public whether boom gates should be installed at the Arthur Street train crossing in Cairns North.

Originally published as Woman injured after car collides with Kuranda Scenic Rail