Cyclist dies after collision with train at Brisbane level crossing

A male cyclist has died after he was hit by a train near Runcorn station, in Brisbane’s south, before dawn on Monday.

Emergency services received reports of a collision at 4.33am at the Nathan Road level crossing, on the corner of Penarth Street, next to Runcorn station.

Police found the cyclist – a 69-year-old Runcorn man – shortly after arriving. Paramedics assessed him for significant head injuries, but he later died at the scene.

A Queensland Rail spokeswoman said the boom gates were down and the lights were flashing at the level crossing at the time of the collision.

Trains continued running on the Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines on Monday morning, although Translink told commuters to expect delays of up to 60 minutes following the crash, which were reduced to 30 minutes by 8am.

Rail services returned to normal and surrounding roads reopened to traffic about 9.30am, with Queensland Rail not expecting the incident to impact evening peak-hour trains.

Rail Tram and Bus Union Queensland Division secretary Peter Allen said the crossing was known to be “pretty complex” because the nearby station and three lines could mask approaching trains if a motorist or person entered the crossing despite warnings.

“I suspect that didn’t happen because this is very early in the day, but this is the way that a somewhat complex level crossing can be confusing,” Allen said.

The union is pushing for a gradual removal of level crossings across the state, and was hopeful the new state government would reconsider continuing projects to phase out Queensland’s 2400 rail crossings.

“There was about 38 of them that we said were dangerous level crossings that needed some sort of treatment,” Allen said.

“We met with the Minister for Transport and his staff … [and] when it came to level crossings, they said it wasn’t a priority issue for them.”

He said close-calls and fatal train strikes would likely become more common as Cross River Rail increased services on the above-ground network where lines overlapped.

“We’re going to see boom gates down in some places like [Cavendish] Road … down for up to 45 to 55 minutes in the hour,” Allen said.

“You might as well just close them because there’s just no ability for people to get across them.”

Queensland Police’s forensic crash unit has launched an investigation of the incident.

The Transport Minister’s office has been contacted for comment.

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