Gerogery level crossing accident
Encyclopedia
The Gerogery level crossing
accident was a vehicle-train crash that occurred at Bells Road on the Olympic Highway, where it crossed the Main Southern railway
in Gerogery
, New South Wales
, Australia
. The crash occurred on 27 January 2001 at 4.07pm and resulted in five fatalities in a car that was struck by a Melbourne-bound CountryLink
XPT, or express passenger train, travelling at 160kmh. Although the train derailed in the impact, there were no deaths to the train passengers or crew. The crash site extended for more than 1 km south of the level crossing, with vehicle, train and rail track debris found throughout. There had been a continuing series of crashes at the level crossing prior to the fatal crash, resulting in the local road and rail authorities installing perceptual countermeasures such as warning signs and enhanced road markings in attempts to provide more information to drivers of the crossing location and characteristics and to influence vehicle approach speeds.
A tragic occurrence, the Gerogery level crossing accident served as a focal point for the commencement of reforms to the design, operation and management of railway level crossings across Australia. This reform process is continuing.
This crash, through the intervention of the local State member, Mr Daryl Maguire
MP, Member for Wagga Wagga
led the NSW Government to request the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety (the STAYSAFE Committee) of New South Wales Parliament to conduct a review of the safety of railway level crossings. The report of the Committee (STAYSAFE 56, 2004) was a comprehensive review of road, vehicle, driver and railway-related factors involved in level crossing incidents and crashes. The findings and recommendations of the report led to major reform of railway level crossing safety across Australia.
Following the deaths, an overbridge was built to remove the level crossing, with completion on 16 December 2005. Originally costed in 2001 at $12.5 million, by June 2004 the cost had increased to $18.5 million, and was finally completed at a cost of $24.5 million. The overbridge is named the "Five Mates Crossing" bridge, in memory of the five young men, all friends, who were killed: Kyle Michael Wooden, Luke Gellie Milne, Cameron Michael Tucker, Graham Charles Kelly and Ben Wilkins. They had been heading to Albury
to attend an evening rugby league match. Commemorative crosses and memorial plate are set along side the Olympic Highway 50 metres south of the crossing on the northbound lane.
This testimony was strenuously refuted by the families of the boys. At the Coronial Inquest, Coroner Mr Carl Milovanovich said of the allegation:
Rather, the design of the level crossing itself was seen as contributing to the deaths of the five young men. In summing up, Mr Milovanovich stated:
The coroner went on to say:
Since 2001 there has been significant reform to the management of railway level crossings, not only in New South Wales but nationally across Australia. The STAYSAFE Committee of New South Wales Parliament has held two further inquiries, and the Parliament of Australia and the Parliament of Victoria have also conducted parliamentary committee investigations into railway level crossing safety.
The CRC for Rail Innovation is conducting a number of research projects into railway level crossing design, management, and technology. There is also a research program underway to improve driver and other road user behaviour safety at railway level crossings. The CRC for Rail Innovation is a collaborative venture between leading organisations in the Australian rail industry and Australian Universities and is supported by the Commonwealth Government. It is planned that the CRC for Rail Innovation will invest around A$100m in rail industry research over the 2007-2013 period. This makes it the single biggest research program in the history of Australian railways.
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
accident was a vehicle-train crash that occurred at Bells Road on the Olympic Highway, where it crossed the Main Southern railway
Main Southern railway line, New South Wales
The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...
in Gerogery
Gerogery, New South Wales
Gerogery is a small village in Greater Hume Shire Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gerogery serves a rural farming community. The village is located on the Main South railway line between Sydney and Melbourne, where it intersects with the Olympic Way. At the 2006 census,...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The crash occurred on 27 January 2001 at 4.07pm and resulted in five fatalities in a car that was struck by a Melbourne-bound CountryLink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
XPT, or express passenger train, travelling at 160kmh. Although the train derailed in the impact, there were no deaths to the train passengers or crew. The crash site extended for more than 1 km south of the level crossing, with vehicle, train and rail track debris found throughout. There had been a continuing series of crashes at the level crossing prior to the fatal crash, resulting in the local road and rail authorities installing perceptual countermeasures such as warning signs and enhanced road markings in attempts to provide more information to drivers of the crossing location and characteristics and to influence vehicle approach speeds.
A tragic occurrence, the Gerogery level crossing accident served as a focal point for the commencement of reforms to the design, operation and management of railway level crossings across Australia. This reform process is continuing.
Location
Far from being a typical level crossing where a straight road crosses a straight railway line, the Gerogery level crossing was a more complicated road-rail interface involving an important main road (the Olympic Highway), another minor road, and the railway line (the Main Southern railway):- the main road had an at-grade intersection with the single trackSingle track (rail)A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
railway at the level crossing. - the road did a sharp left and right bends, with the approach from the north on the western side of the railway line, turning and traversing the line before turning again to run south on the eastern side of the railway line.
- the dog leg, or section of the road that traversed the railway line, ran roughly east-west and may have put the sun in drivers' eyes during sunrise and sunset in the summer months.
- because of the road delineation and bends, the red flashing lights warning of the imminent approach of a train could not properly point and provide sufficient warning to drivers on the main road and minor road approaches.
- the five young men killed, teenagers from Wagga WaggaWagga Wagga, New South WalesWagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
, had all recently received their driving licences. - the crossing had no boomgates, as these were only considered necessary where there were two or more tracks, and gates were needed to protect against a "second train coming".
This crash, through the intervention of the local State member, Mr Daryl Maguire
Daryl Maguire
Daryl William Maguire MP JP , an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Wagga Wagga for the Liberal Party of Australia since 1999...
MP, Member for Wagga Wagga
Electoral district of Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Daryl Maguire of the Liberal Party of Australia....
led the NSW Government to request the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety (the STAYSAFE Committee) of New South Wales Parliament to conduct a review of the safety of railway level crossings. The report of the Committee (STAYSAFE 56, 2004) was a comprehensive review of road, vehicle, driver and railway-related factors involved in level crossing incidents and crashes. The findings and recommendations of the report led to major reform of railway level crossing safety across Australia.
Following the deaths, an overbridge was built to remove the level crossing, with completion on 16 December 2005. Originally costed in 2001 at $12.5 million, by June 2004 the cost had increased to $18.5 million, and was finally completed at a cost of $24.5 million. The overbridge is named the "Five Mates Crossing" bridge, in memory of the five young men, all friends, who were killed: Kyle Michael Wooden, Luke Gellie Milne, Cameron Michael Tucker, Graham Charles Kelly and Ben Wilkins. They had been heading to Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...
to attend an evening rugby league match. Commemorative crosses and memorial plate are set along side the Olympic Highway 50 metres south of the crossing on the northbound lane.
Inquest
The inquest into the Gerogery level crossing deaths necessarily canvassed a wide variety of issues in road and rail transport. The inquest also examined questions of driver behaviour, notably the common belief that level crossing crashes can often be caused by drivers seeking to "beat the train" and not be delayed in their journey by stopping for a train to pass over the level crossing. Indeed, during the coronial inquiry, evidence given by one train passenger suggested the teenagers had been racing to beat the train through the crossing.This testimony was strenuously refuted by the families of the boys. At the Coronial Inquest, Coroner Mr Carl Milovanovich said of the allegation:
Rather, the design of the level crossing itself was seen as contributing to the deaths of the five young men. In summing up, Mr Milovanovich stated:
The coroner went on to say:
Since 2001 there has been significant reform to the management of railway level crossings, not only in New South Wales but nationally across Australia. The STAYSAFE Committee of New South Wales Parliament has held two further inquiries, and the Parliament of Australia and the Parliament of Victoria have also conducted parliamentary committee investigations into railway level crossing safety.
The CRC for Rail Innovation is conducting a number of research projects into railway level crossing design, management, and technology. There is also a research program underway to improve driver and other road user behaviour safety at railway level crossings. The CRC for Rail Innovation is a collaborative venture between leading organisations in the Australian rail industry and Australian Universities and is supported by the Commonwealth Government. It is planned that the CRC for Rail Innovation will invest around A$100m in rail industry research over the 2007-2013 period. This makes it the single biggest research program in the history of Australian railways.
External links
- The level crossing is at 35.879228°S 147.000675°E