An urgent call for rail safety in SA

Wednesday 13 August 2025

Heads up, South Australia! Don’t get sidetracked around rail crossings.

Between 2023 and 2024, there were 12 collisions and 350 near-miss incidents reported in South Australia at rail crossings. Sadly, these incidents resulted in:

  • five lives lost
  • seven injuries.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Rail Safety Week, which will be held between 11 and 17 August.

The week serves as an important reminder to be mindful and stay safe on and around our rail network.

Keeping yourself and others safe

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) is urging South Australians to stay safe and not get sidetracked around rail crossings.

People are increasingly connected to their phones and devices. Unfortunately, we are seeing a concerning rise in incidents due to lack of attention.

Rail incidents don’t just affect you – they devastate families, first responders and train drivers. But every rail incident is preventable.

Help us work together to create a safer rail network by following these small steps:

  • Put your phone down when you’re near a train line.
  • Pause your music and take headphones off.
  • Stay behind the line.
  • Look both ways before crossing the rail line.
  • Obey signage when driving your car across rail crossings and make sure you can safely cross the tracks without stopping.

South Australia’s Level Crossing Safety Strategy

DIT launched South Australia’s Level Crossing Safety Strategy to improve safety at rail crossings across the state this year.

The strategy aims to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries at level crossings by:

  • identifying priorities to improve safety at level crossings
  • supporting ongoing efforts across the state to maintain and improve safety measures.

Visit the Level Crossing Safety Strategy page to learn more about the strategy and read it in full.

To learn more about the Rail Safety Week initiative, visit the TrackSAFE website.