Level crossings establish interfaces where interactions between trains and the public pose varying levels of risk to safety, depending on the nature of the controls that are in place. Other than suicide and trespass, collisions at level crossings are the primary cause of rail-related fatalities among members of the public.
Safety at level crossings relies on significant coordination and action to manage the risks. Rail transport operators, road managers, road transport organisations, governments, emergency services, regulators and members of the public all have a role to play.
Current ONRSR priorities
In addition to ongoing regulatory and compliance activity, ONRSR is involved in several important initiatives out of the National Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2023-2032 and the National Level Crossing Safety Roundtable held in March 2024.
Current actions underway by ONRSR to improve level crossing safety include:
- Working with the rail industry to improve train visibility, including implementation of the new Code of Practice – Train Visibility at Level Crossings (see link at right).
- Partnering with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and Australian Trucking Association and other stakeholders to develop a sustainable national education program for safe driving around level crossings.
- Reviewing the NLXP (National Level Crossing Portal) incident database as part of an Australian Government initiative to enhance the user experience and improve the quality of data and information provided.
- Implementing recommendations out of the National Transport Commission’s review of the Rail Safety National Law (see link at right), released in mid-2024, to strengthen the requirements for interface agreements.
- Collaborating with the NHVR, Austroads, National Transport Research Organisation and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to improve data sharing across organisations and provide better visibility of risk assessments for Heavy Vehicle General and Restricted Access Routes.
- Assisting rail infrastructure managers, operators and unions to progress new arrangements for collating near hit data.
- Supporting work being done by governments and industry to remove level crossings and commit to a policy of no new level crossings.
National Level Crossing Safety Strategy
The National Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2023-2032 was developed by the National Level Crossing Safety Committee (NLCSC), of which ONRSR is a member organisation.
The strategy represents a collaborative national approach to reducing fatalities and injuries across Australia’s level crossings with a vision of zero harm. Its objectives include:
- Improving level crossing user behaviour through public education and enforcement.
- Leveraging opportunities from emerging technology and innovations.
- Identifying opportunities for early, low-cost and effective safety improvements.
- Supporting the development of improved data and knowledge on level crossings.
- Increasing coordination and knowledge sharing by those responsible for level crossing safety.
For more information on the strategy and three-year work plan, visit the website of the Queensland Department Transport and Main Roads which provides the NLCSC’s Program Management Office.
Interface Agreements
The Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) sets requirements on the establishment of interface agreements between rolling stock operators, rail infrastructure managers and road managers to manage risks to safety at road and rail crossings so far as is reasonably practicable. Penalties may apply to rail transport operators and road managers who breach their requirements at a rail or road crossing.
The specific responsibilities of each are described in sections 106-108 of the RSNL. Rail or road crossings include but are not limited to:
- a level crossing;
- an area where a road and a tramway meet at substantially the same level, where there is no level crossing sign on the road at all or any of the entrances to the area;
- an area where a footpath or shared path crosses a tramway at substantially the same level, where there is no level crossing sign on the path at all or any of the entrances to the area;
- a bridge carrying a road over a railway;
- a bridge carrying a railway over a road; or
- a lane of a road on which rolling stock moves alongside road vehicles on the road.
Download the interface agreement template and fact sheets - available in the right hand panel.