The NSW Government have released confronting CCTV footage on Sunday, showing near misses on the light rail to launch the twentieth annual Rail Safety Week.
The footage captured areas in Sydney, the Eastern Suburbs, Parramatta and Newcastle, showing pedestrians, cyclists, cars, and people on mobility scooters colliding or narrowly avoiding collisions.
Minister for Transport John Graham, along with Transport NSW, are uniting to remind all passengers to stay safe around trams and level crossings.
“These moments are hard to watch because in some cases there is just centimetres or milliseconds from the result being so much worse,” said Mr. Graham.
“As we enter Rail Safety Week 2025, it is the right time to remind people that light rail vehicles can’t deviate their path and at 85 tonnes when fully loaded, they take time to stop.”
The campaign, led by the TrackSAFE Foundation in partnership with the NSW Government, began on the 11th of August and will run until the 17th.
Transport NSW have shared data showing that of the 2,700 level crossings on operational lines across the state, about 1,300 are on public roads and between July 2015 and June 2025, there have been 66 collisions in NSW between trains and vehicles, resulting in 9 fatalities and 9 serious injuries.
UNSW student Anna Docherty, a weekly light rail user, said many people underestimate the dangers.
“There’s one right out the front of my Uni,” Ms Docherty said.
“We normally catch it in the city if we’re going out. It’s just the easiest.”
A memorial will be held today at Werris Creek Station to honour those killed, injured, or affected by rail accidents.
