Passenger Rail, Operations & Maintenance, Safety

Passengers reminded to mind the gap

 

Queensland Rail is pleading with all train users, especially those travelling with young children, to ‘Mind the Gap’ after new data revealed an increase in customer falls between the train and platform.

Queensland Rail Head of South East Queensland Scott Riedel said the organisation was deeply concerned about the rise and urged customers to take care.

“In 2021, we saw 54 incidents of people slipping between the train and platform – more than double the 21 reported incidents in 2020,” he said.

“This is a concerning increase and serves as a stark reminder that people, and especially children, can fall in the gap between a train and platform when not paying enough attention.

“The safety of our customers is our absolute top priority, and we want to see everyone go home unharmed at the end of the day.

“We’re calling on customers to please take care when boarding and stepping off the train.  Keep your children close – if possible, hold their hands and talk to them about how to board and disembark safely. A moment of inattention or distraction is all it takes.

“This important safety message applies to everyone travelling on our trains. While small children can often fit through the gap, a larger child or adult can still sustain a painful injury if a limb slips between the train and platform.

“We see most of these incidents occurring at our busiest stations, Roma Street and Central, but it’s important to remember they are preventable. That’s why we’re reminding customers to take care, pay attention to your surroundings and mind the gap.”

Riedel said Queensland Rail invests in customer safety initiatives such as platform raising, safety signage, announcements, and community education campaigns.

“Station staff and guards are also available to deploy ramps and offer boarding assistance to those customers who require it,” he said.

“In addition, our community education teams also provide rail safety sessions for children and students of all ages, to instil safe behaviour around the rail network from a young age.

“Queensland Rail has also just launched phase 2 of the ‘Travel with Care’ campaign, which aims to reduce falls between the train and platform.  Customers can expect to see signage at key stations around the network as well as onboard our trains, as a reminder to take care.”