Who, What, When, Where, Why?

Who: Australian and New Zealand Rail Organisations, Government Bodies and Police.

What: Participants conduct safety-related activities like school visits, school competitions, increased monitoring/enforcement of motorists at railway level crossings and educational advertising campaigns

When: Monday 22 – Sunday 28 August 2011.

Where: In all Australian States and Territories
and throughout New Zealand.

Why: To educate the Australasian
public about the correct behaviour
required at and around railways.

National Rail Safety Week (NRSW) is an Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) initiative aimed at increasing community awareness about rail safety and improving behaviour at and around railways.

The theme for 2011 is 'Safer railways for safer communities'

The expected outcomes of the week are:

• to raise awareness in metropolitan, regional and rural areas of safe behaviour around level crossings;
• to emphasise how dangerous it is to take shortcuts over or walk along train lines (known as trespassing);
• to improve safety within the rail industry by raising awareness amongst track workers, train and tram drivers and rail employees;
• to generate awareness of the impact that level crossing accidents have on train and tram drivers who are the hidden victims and witness these avoidable incidents first-hand; and
• to encourage widespread understanding of the actions being taken by the rail industry to increase safety around railways and tram networks in Australian and New Zealand communities.

For further information contact: