KiwiRail releases footage of four near-misses at crossings

Monday, 15 August 2016

Hard-to-watch video shows near misses at railway crossings

With a train just moments away a cyclist pushes off and bikes across the railway track - this is just one of the terrifying near-misses caught by newly released CCTV footage.

KiwiRail has shared the hard-to-watch video for Rail Safety Week.

The footage shows people stepping off the track with trains just metres away and the cyclist racing across the tracks to narrowly beat the oncoming train.

This cyclist's near-miss is just one of the terrifying incidents captured by CCTV cameras at NZ railway crossings this year.

The four incidents in the video took place during the past year at railway crossings in New Zealand.

KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy said there was an increasing trend in incidents involving pedestrians.

Reports from train drivers and CCTV footage showed people were failing to take care at level crossings.

Sometimes people crossed the tracks after a train had passed but while the alarms were still operating without realising there was often a train coming from the other direction.

Tracksafe manager Megan Drayton said complacency and distractions like cellphones and headphones meant people often didn't consciously check for trains.

KiwiRail's Reidy said people needed to avoid distractions at crossings.

'Collisions and near misses cause severe and lasting trauma for everyone involved.

'This includes victims, their families, emergency services personnel and witnesses, and our train drivers and rail staff.'