Rail safety which covers accidents at level crossing, trespass and acts of vandalism and accidents relating to rail operations, forms part of an overall New Zealand Transport Strategy which is being developed by the Ministry of Transport. While the number of rail related accidents is small in comparison to road fatalities, the trauma of rail accidents is high.
To address this issue, the Ministry of Transport produced a position paper on Rail Safety Targets which contained proposed targets for rail safety as well an approach to meet these targets. In December 2005, the Ministry called for submissions on the paper from all parties involved in rail operations.
When submissions closed in April 2006 a total of 33 submissions were received. The Ministry of Transport would like to thank submitters for the time and effort they took to participate in this important consultation process
Where to from here?
The submissions are currently being analysed by staff at the Ministry and a summary document is being prepared for the Minister of Transport. This document will contain recommendations relating to the setting of targets.
Once the Minister has received this report, the Ministry of Transport of will advise submitters of its conclusions and this summary document will be published on our web site.
Following this, work will begin on drafting a Rail Safety Strategy and this is expected to take about five months. During that time there will be further discussion with interested parties, including other government agencies.
The aim is to provide a draft to Ministers towards the end of the year. Updates on this process will be published on this web site