Assisting Safety and Personal Security - National Rail Strategy

Strategic Directions to 2015 Cont.

Objective: To improve rail safety and personal security

While rail remains the safest form of land transport, there can be no room for complacency. Recent reports¹ into rail safety have made it clear that New Zealand's rail safety performance should be improved to international best practice standards.

Policies aimed at promoting a modal shift from road to rail may contribute to the overall transport goal of improving safety due to rail's comparatively better safety performance. Greater use of rail, however, may result in an increased number of rail-related accidents.

Land Transport New Zealand will have a continuing role as regulator, to ensure that operators fulfil their safety responsibilities through a process of oversight and monitoring.

Personal security includes concerns about crime and harassment in and around stations and on trains, and also vandalism and theft of cars from parking facilities at stations. Though reported crime statistics are low, concerns about crime and personal security can act as barriers to rail patronage.

Priority: Continue to improve the safety and personal security levels of the rail system

Safety

Rail-related accidents² fall into three very different categories requiring very different responses: level crossing, trespass and route crime, and operational accidents. These accidents can involve rail employees, the travelling public, or trespassers. Table 1 shows that for the years 1998 to 2004, there have been on average 20 level crossing accidents resulting in death or injury, 24 accidents related to trespass and route crime, and 26 accidents relating to rail operations each year. These accidents resulted in a total of 155 deaths, 108 serious injuries, and 302 minor injuries over the eight-year period (the number of injuries is higher than the total number of accidents since an accident can have more than one person injured³).

Level crossing accidents

Twenty-nine percent of all injury accidents on New Zealand's railways between 1998 and 2004 were associated with level crossings. ONTRACK, Land Transport New Zealand, roadcontrolling authorities, train operators, private land-owners, the Police, and motor vehicle drivers all have a role to play in reducing level crossing accidents. These accidents may be reduced through such means as improving the general road environment, and providing preventive and protective solutions at level crossings. Road user compliance with the law is also critical.

Source: Ministry of Transport

Route crime and trespass accidents

Both route crime and trespass injury accidents are primarily caused by members of the public committing illegal acts such as being on the tracks without authorisation, throwing objects at trains, or placing objects on tracks that can derail trains. In many cases these acts are outside the direct control of rail operators. Suicide and substance-related impairment are thought to be significant factors in trespass accidents.

Thirty-four percent of injury accidents on New Zealand's railways between 1998 and 2004 were associated with route crime and trespass. Land Transport New Zealand (safety), ONTRACK, train operators, road-controlling authorities, the Police, the public, and station owners have a role in reducing such accidents - for example, through environmental design; by ensuring trains are conspicuous (by sounding horns and ensuring lights are clearly visible); managing safe pedestrian access over the tracks; making efforts to prevent access to tracks; and educating the public about safety and security issues associated with railways.

Route crime and trespass injury accidents can impinge on the personal security and safety of rail staff and passengers through the risk of injury from incidents of rock-throwing and other acts of route crime. Further, accidents and suicide attempts have an enormous psychological impact on locomotive drivers and others involved in such incidents, particularly where there is a fatality or serious injury.

Operational accidents

Thirty-seven percent of injury accidents on New Zealand's railways from 1998 to 2004 were associated with operational accidents such as shunting, collisions, and derailments, and rail passenger accidents. While rare, some types of operational accidents (eg head-on collisions) have the potential to be extremely serious. Land Transport New Zealand, ONTRACK, rail operators, and rail employees all have a role to play in reducing the number of accidents in this area and maintaining a rail safety culture.

Personal security

Good station and subway design, adequate lighting, cleanliness, attractive stations, and clean and well-maintained trains can contribute to both the perception and the reality of personal security. Enhanced security for cars in station car parks is also likely to encourage commuters to 'park and ride'.

Addressing personal security issues on trains and at stations is primarily the responsibility of station owners/managers and rail passenger operators, the Police, and the public.

Emergency management

It is important to ensure that key rail infrastructure, passengers, staff, and freight are not unreasonably at risk from accidents, whether due to rail system failures, spillage of hazardous goods, or natural disasters such as slips, flooding, or earthquakes. Appropriate risk management is needed to ensure that civil defence emergency management requirements are met.

Annually more than 200,000 tonnes of hazardous goods are moved by rail. A number of government agencies (including the Ministry of Health, the Police, Land Transport New Zealand, and the Department of Labour) have responsibilities in terms of minimising the risk to passengers, rail staff, and communities alongside rail corridors, and to other goods travelling with these products.

Rail-related terrorist incidents are possible. Minimising the risk of terrorist activity will require a co-ordinated national and international approach, and appropriate risk management by rail participants.

Key initiatives in assisting safety and personal security

Enhanced rail safety regime (Railways Act 2005)

• The Railways Act 2005 implements an enhanced rail safety regime, addressing the problems identified in recent reports into rail safety and changes in the business models over time. The Act clearly states the safety duties of all rail participants and extends the licensing regime to include access providers.

Develop a Rail Safety Strategy

• The Ministry of Transport is leading the development of a Rail Safety Strategy, due to be completed during 2005.
• The Ministry of Transport will develop rail safety targets in consultation with the rail industry.
• The Rail Safety Strategy will be consistent with the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy and the New Zealand Crime Reduction Strategy.

Develop effective and efficient interventions to improve safety

• Level crossing safety is a priority area for action because of the fatal and injury accidents associated with them. A Road-Rail Level Crossing Working Group has been established and is working to identify and facilitate effective measures to improve safety at level crossings. It includes Land Transport New Zealand, Transit New Zealand, Local Government New Zealand, Toll NZ, and the Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand.
• In 2004, the then Land Transport Safety Authority undertook research into trespasser accidents, which is being used to inform the development of the Rail Safety Strategy.
• Work is under way in Auckland to update the 'Rail Safe' package that was used in schools.

Improve the safety and personal security of rail users

• The Government, directly and through Land Transport New Zealand, has provided funding for upgrading Auckland and Wellington railway stations.
• Appropriate national and international agencies will continue to monitor the terrorist threat and develop effective anti-terrorism measures.
• The Ministry of Transport is represented on the National Taskforce for reducing violence in public places, and through this forum will consider the need for a specific Personal Security Strategy.
• The Ministry of Transport will continue to lead the civil defence and emergency management transport cluster.

Other initiatives

• Government investment to upgrade the rail network is intended, among other goals, to increase its overall safety.
• Initiatives that increase rail patronage and activity in and around stations may also reduce personal security concerns.
• The New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy provides an overarching framework for the injury prevention activities of government agencies, non-government organisations, communities, and individuals, covering issues such as suicide.
• The Crime Reduction Strategy addresses concerns about personal security and crime in public places as part of its general violence strategy.
• The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management works with relevant agencies to ensure civil defence emergency management requirements are met.    

Footnotes

1. The Wilson Report 2000 and the Halliburton Report 2002.
2. An 'accident' refers to an event resulting in death or injury.
3. The focus is on accidents rather than injuries since the number of injuries per accident is typically random, thus total injuries can vary widely from year to year. The number of accidents provides a more accurate representation of the level of safety on the railway Table

• Media Release  

• National Rail Strategy to 2015  (PDF v7.0, 557kb)