- The importance of immediately reporting an obstruction of the railway tracks is at the forefront as the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) releases its findings into a serious collision between a B-double truck and a passenger train.
- The incident occurred at the Bonemill Road level crossing in Runcorn on 14 August 2025.
- ATSB finds the actions of the Queensland Rail train driver likely reduced the severity of the collision.
Queensland Rail welcomes the ATSB report into the collision between a B-double truck and train and echoes the ATSB's safety messaging that an obstruction of railway tracks should be treated as an emergency and reported immediately.
The newly released CCTV footage of the moment a passenger train collided with a B-double truck that was obstructing railway tracks is a stark reminder of the importance of staying safe around level crossings.
The incident occurred just before 7am on 14 August 2025 at the Bonemill Road level crossing in Runcorn and while it caused significant delays to morning peak commuters on the Gold Coast and Beenleigh lines, fortunately, there were no serious physical injuries.
The final ATSB report into the incident found that the actions of the train driver likely reduced the severity of the collision and reinforced the importance of motorists and witnesses knowing what action to take.
Queensland Rail's Head of SEQ Neil Backer echoed the ATSB's findings about the critical need to immediately report any obstruction over railway tracks, either through the signposted incident reporting number or triple zero.
"The incident reporting signage at the Runcorn level crossing includes a 24-hour emergency phone number directly connected to our Rail Management Centre, which has the ability to immediately stop rail traffic," Mr Backer said.
"That number is 1800 079 303. If you see an emergency on our railway, please use this number immediately to let us know or you can call triple zero.
"Queensland Rail is also extremely proud of the actions of the highly experienced traincrew, as the ATSB found the train driver's actions of applying emergency braking and the associated emergency procedures likely reduced the severity of the collision.
"This is a timely reminder of the importance of staying safe around level crossings. Please pay attention to your surroundings and follow the road rules because trains are heavy, fast, can't stop quickly and they can't swerve to avoid a collision."
Queensland Rail is currently proactively updating its level crossing strategy which includes a set of initiatives, such as an independent review of its current level crossing management methodology benchmarked against other rail operators.
We have also recently collaborated with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator on heavy vehicle compliance activities and communication campaigns.
