Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming along this evening to mark the second annual Australasian Rail Safety Awareness Week.

Rail safety is not just the responsibility of any one Government agency, rail operator, local body or community group. All of these groups need to work together to make rail safe – particularly at level crossings.

 

On both sides of the Tasman, every year, we witness terrible crashes at level crossings and on railway tracks. In New Zealand this year, we have already had seven deaths on our railway. This is seven deaths too many.

 

This evening our thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have died or were injured in these crashes. And we also remember the locomotive drivers, who do everything they can to avoid these tragic events.

 

Since 2003, there have been 86 fatalities at level crossings in New Zealand. While these crashes are not common, they can be avoided. Rail operators, rail track managers and roading authorities do what they can to prevent accidents. But, it is important that the local community also takes responsibility for safety at crossings, and is involved in identifying sites for upgrade.

 

Road users must remember to take care when approaching a level crossing, and always expect a train. I am sure many of us here today will recall the message we all heard at school and that we taught our children: STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN.

 

That sounds very reasonable, but tragically, people still cross rail tracks into the path of oncoming trains. Trespassers on the network are also a major source of trauma and we continue to look for ways to keep people off the tracks. It frustrates us that people refuse to recognise that a freight train travelling at 80 kilometres an hour can take as much as a full kilometre to stop.

To put it simply, it’s unrealistic to expect a train to give way, attempt to beat it across a level crossing, or try to walk along the railway line. Trains must be treated with respect.

 

Just last month (12 June), the bodies of two young men were discovered on top of a wagon in a Christchurch shunting yard. These young men had been hitching a ride and were killed when they struck an overhead bridge. 

 

This is Australasian Rail Safety Awareness Week. I am pleased to see that we continue to work together from both sides of the Tasman. It was clear to me at the ARA’s Rail Safety Conference in February that we have the common goal of safety and that many of our safety problems are the same. We continue to work together, through industry and government agencies, to learn from each other about how to get the safety message across.

 

The week’s campaign to promote rail safety awareness is timely and it is necessary. Just how necessary came home to me when I discovered a disturbing fact. The first fatal accident involving an internal combustion engine in New Zealand appears to have been in November 1905. It was a crash between a motorcycle and a train at a level crossing. People have been dying unnecessarily on New Zealand level crossings for 103 years – enough is enough!

 

In 2007 we ran a series of hard hitting television advertisements, originally developed in South Australia. I am delighted to see them back on our screens again in 2008. And it’s not just on the television that these advertisements have proved effective. We’ve also run the campaign at sporting functions and stadiums around the country, enabling us to get the rail safety message across to a key target audience.

 

 

There were complaints about the ads last year, and I answered a lot more letters about rail safety in the weeks after Rail Safety Week than I usually would. According to feedback, the commercials were “too graphic,” “too shocking,” and even “too Australian!”

 

The reality is that these advertisements are not pleasant to watch, but they are intended to drive home the message that ignoring the basic rules around the railway network can end in tragedy – and ultimately to stop more of these tragedies from occurring.

 

Those of us who were fortunate to be here at the inaugural Safety Week launch last year will remember watching the incredibly moving video of Chris Cairns and his family. The devastating effect of losing your sister Louise to a level crossing crash in 1993 was clear to us all. And let’s not forget, two other young women also lost their lives in this crash. It is tragedies like these that continually motivate us to push the rail safety message.

 

I would like to acknowledge the considerable contribution KiwiRail, of course, formerly Toll Rail, and ONTRACK have made to rail safety campaigns and initiatives across our national network, and behind the scenes working with officials. Be assured, the government will continue to make safety a priority as David Jackson’s team has in the past.

 

I would also like to thank Chris Cairns for lending his considerable profile to the face of rail safety through the Chris Cairns Foundation. Chris, the commitment and initiative you have shown to raising awareness about rail safety in New Zealand since you launched your foundation in 2006 is certainly appreciated by all of us here.

 

As I’m sure most of you will know, Chris has been very busy this week, launching Rail Safety Awareness Week at Rolleston School, in Canterbury. He’s also carried the rail safety message up to the North Island this week at events in Huntley, Ngaruawahia and Auckland.

 

And next month (August) he starts the longest walk of his life when he walks from Pukekohe to Rolleston, near Christchurch, to raise funds and awareness for rail safety. I understand Chris is already in serious training for the 1001 kilometre walk. He’s hoping many local identities, and people who may have lost friends or relatives through tragedy on the rail network, will join him for parts of this challenging walk. Chris, we’re warming up our walking shoes to join you on your huge trek.

 

Chris expects to finish his walk on Sunday 21 September in Rolleston, the site where his sister Louise lost her life. I would encourage everyone here to support this magnificent cause and, if possible, join Chris at some point in his journey.

 

As we enter an era where sustainability is becoming much more than just a slogan, rail, in my view, is destined to make a great contribution to the nation.

 

This is borne out in the New Zealand Government’s National Rail Strategy to 2015 which highlights the benefits that rail has to offer, such as reducing traffic congestion on roads and contributing to a better environment.

 

It’s been a big year so far for rail. The National Rail Strategy continues to focus on increasing efficiencies in the key areas of freight and urban passenger transport.

 

The government has welcomed KiwiRail into the fold, which will enable the implementation of an integrated transport strategy. The government has recognised there are safety issues that need to be addressed in the purchase of KiwiRail and the initial investment announced by the Minister of Finance earlier this week confirms this government’s commitment to safety enhancements.

 

And in October, we celebrate a piece of New Zealand rail history with the centenary of the North Island Main Trunk Line.

But safety remains a key priority. As our government continues to look at how rail might expand, we are also determined to improve rail-related safety. So, do keep an eye out for the various promotional material and activities going on during the rest of Rail Safety Awareness Week and throughout the rest of the year.

 

I would like to congratulate all the organisations that are participating in this Rail Safety Awareness Week. Again, I would like to acknowledge the Australasian Railway Association, but also the Chris Cairns Foundation, ONTRACK, KiwiRail and Land Transport New Zealand for coming together to make this initiative work. You have all done a great job and I hope that all your hard work brings about the results you clearly deserve.