Victoria Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu

COALITION TO IMPROVE SAFETY AT UP TO 75 COUNTRY LEVEL CROSSINGS

Victor P Taffa

A Victorian Liberal Nationals Coalition Government will fix safety problems at up to 75 Level Crossings across Victoria and save country lives by installing boom barriers.

Coalition Leader Ted Baillieu said the Coalition will commit $33 Million to install boom barriers and flashing lights at up to 75 Country Level Crossings across Victoria.

“The Coalition will fix the problems at Country Level Crossings by installing boom barriers and adding flashing lights if lights are not already in place.” Mr. Baillieu said.

“After 11 years of Labor, only 242 of Victoria’s 1,703 Country Level Crossings have boom barriers.”

“John Brumby has done too little to improve safety at Country Level Crossings to Protect Country Families.” Mr. Baillieu said.

The Auditor-General found in March that John Brumby had only upgraded 7 of 35 level crossings that V/Line said should be improved and that there was ‘no agreement about (level crossing) upgrade priorities between the Department (of Transport) and V/Line’ (Source: Management of Safety Risks at Level Crossings, 24 March 2010, p17).

The Auditor-General reported that the average number of fatal collisions at Victorian level crossings had increased to seven a year in the six years to June 2009, compared with five a year between 1996/97 and 2002/03.

The Coalition has already announced a $17 Million commitment in Warragul for fixing problems and building a Road Underpass.

One stark example of Labor’s failure on level crossings is on the Warrnambool Line beyond Marshall, where just Seven Level Crossings have boom barriers, while there are 88 with only Stop or Give Way signs or flashing lights without boom barriers, despite six passenger trains per day travelling through these crossings at a maximum speed of 115 kilometres an hour.

The Coalition will use existing priority listings for Level Crossings, including those compiled using the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model, to determine which Level Crossings will be fixed first.

Under Labor, the lack of Boom Barriers also remains a major problem on lines including Swan Hill, where 11 V/Line passengers tragically died near Kerang in June 2007 when a truck collided with their train, and on other freight-only lines including Maryborough to Mildura and North Geelong to Ballarat.

Responsibility for Election Comment

Under the provisions of the relevant Electoral Act responsibility for all election comment is assumed by Editor Victor P Taffa. The Registered office of The Southern Thunderer is at 4/69a Darvall Road, West Ryde NSW 2114.

Victoria Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder

BRUMBY GOVT STRIPPED OF RAIL COLLISION INVESTIGATORY POWERS

Victor P Taffa

Victoria Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder has successfully led a campaign that has forced the Brumby Labor Government and its agencies to be stripped of its powers to investigate rail collisions and accidents.

This has been vindicated by the Rudd Government’s decision to establish a national rail safety regulator headquarters in Adelaide, Shadow Minister for Public Transport Terry Mulder said today.

“Passengers who make 217 million trips a year on Melbourne’s Metro rail network and 13 million trips a year on V/Line’s country trains must be assured that their safety comes first.” Mr. Mulder said.

“This cannot be the case while John Brumby allows his own agencies to investigate a string of recent rail incidents that raise serious safety questions.

“In June 2007 following the tragic Kerang collision in which 11 V/Line passengers died, I called for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to be involved in the investigation.” Mr. Mulder said.

Mr. Mulder said John Brumby must immediately ensure that the Jolimont incident of 19 January 2010 where a train ended up on the same track as a train travelling in the opposite direction, the Craigieburn collision of 4 May 2010 between a Metro suburban train and a Pacific National freight train and the Ringwood incident of 12 May 2010 where an X’Trapolis train ran into a fence at the end of a stabling siding are all investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

“It is not appropriate for the Brumby Government’s own agencies to be investigating these serious collisions and incidents.” Mr. Mulder said.

“Public Transport Safety Victoria and the Office of the Chief Investigator, Transport and Marine Safety Investigations will not be perceived by Victorians as being truly independent of John Brumby and Minister for Public Transport Martin Pakula.”

“In July 2000 and June 2001 when metropolitan trains collided at Holmesglen and Footscray respectively, Labor brought in the ATSB to investigate and compile extensive reports.” Mr. Mulder said.

“The Victorian Coalition believes the safety of Victorians using our trains is paramount. Although the Rudd Government’s reforms will not occur until 2013, John Brumby must use his option to call in the ATSB to take over from Victorian Government agencies’ investigations of this spate of serious, potentially life-threatening rail collisions or other incidents.” Mr. Mulder said.