Safety Issue

At the time of the collision, the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the Port Adelaide Enfield Council did not have an interface coordination plan to manage the risks associated with the Stirling Street level crossing interface, including the installation and maintenance of pavement marking.

Safety recommendation

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends that the Australian Rail Track Corporation takes action to address this safety issue.

The ARTC accepts the above recommendation. The ARTC has been working towards establishing an interface agreement with the SA Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure for several years. It is anticipated that once a model agreement is established negotiations  with Local Government agencies will progress at a significantly faster rate.

Negotiations with Local Government organisations if not progressed as a block via the Local Government Association will need to be progressed by individual negotiation with each interfacing Council.

If the latter situation is the case ARTC reserves the right to prioritise negotiations based on a number of interfaces and perceived risk to the safety of rail operations.