Promoting safety on Transperth network during Rail Safety Week

West Australians are being urged to think about their behaviour around railway lines after more than 740 trespass incidents were recorded on Transperth’s rail network in the last financial year.

Rail Safety Week (August 10-16) aims to engage the community in safe rail practices and raise awareness about the potentially lethal consequences of being unsafe around the railway.

The 743 incidents recorded in the 2019-20 financial year included 514 counts of trespass and 124 instances of a person being illegally on a crossing.

McIver Station recorded the most infractions with 51, while Oats Street had 46 and Gosnells 40. Kelmscott (26) and Perth (25) rounded out the top five.

Public Transport Authority spokesman David Hynes said more than 500 incidents of rail trespass are recorded each year.

“There’s a misconception that it’s only people who are deliberately doing the wrong thing, but that’s not the case,” he said.

“Often it is everyday people – business people, the elderly, children, mothers with prams –taking unnecessary risks on the rail network.

“While it might not seem like a big deal at the time, jumping off a platform on to the tracks to grab a dropped item, rushing through pedestrian crossings while the warning lights are on, or taking a shortcut around boom gates can be a fatal decision.

“Shaving a few seconds off your travel time is not worth losing your life.”

Visit tracksafefoundation.com.au for more information on Rail Safety Week.