Two Indian nationals were seen dangerously crossing the railway tracks at Hallam station in Melbourne’s south-east to catch a train last month.
The international students carrying backpacks and wearing identical blue turbans were spotted climbing down into the pit area between railway platforms at around 7 pm on January 31.
To the horror of the commuters, the duo got out of the train on the Pakenham line, hastily jumped on to the area between the two platforms, ran over the tracks and mounted on to the other platform where the train heading towards the city had just arrived.
“All of this happened in a few seconds. They both got out on platform number two and as soon as the train left the station, they took a short cut across the line to get on to the train towards Flinders Street that had just stopped on platform one," an eyewitness told SBS Punjabi.
“It was incredibly dangerous and plain stupid of them to put their lives in danger just because they wanted to save some time.”
The two men were issued a warning by the PSOs for crossing the tracks from an undesignated area. Source: SBS
“They were seen by Protective Service Officers at the station. Both men were given a warning in relation to the incident.
“Public safety is a top priority for Victoria Police and safety measures at railway stations and transport hubs are in place for a reason. It is an offence for pedestrians to enter railway pits or cross train tracks in areas that aren’t specifically designated, or when warning signals or safety gates are in place,” said the spokesperson.
According to the rules for pedestrians listed on the Vic Roads website, crossing the tracks in non-designated areas, or while safety gates are closed or while warning signals are operating is considered trespassing and could result in a warning, fines or arrest.
This means that pedestrians need to wait until all warning lights and bells have stopped, the boom gates are fully opened, and the train has passed before they proceed.
According to the Australian Rail Track Corporation, there are on average over 1000 near-hits between trains and people or vehicles, including 30 fatalities resulting from railway level crossing collisions every year.
Worryingly enough, almost every near-hit incident is due to the people doing the wrong thing, either through error or deliberately, according to the ARTC fact sheet.
It is, therefore, unsurprising that there are strict rules in place to prevent such mishaps across the country.
Crossing a railway track while safety gates are closed, while warning signals are operating, or at a place other than a designated safety crossing may incur a penalty of up to $413 for adults and $83 for a child in Victoria.
In 2015, the spate of incidents in the state had prompted the then policymakers in Victoria to more than double the penalties for such offences, in an effort to save lives and reduce trauma for the train drivers.
Glenroy Rd, Glenroy Source: © Level Crossing Removal Project 2019
"There are more than 9,000 CCTV cameras across the rail network, both at stations and inside trains, that are used to track trespassers in real-time, and evidence is provided to Victoria Police for investigations.
“Metro is installing five new anti-trespasser ground panels to provide both a physical and visual deterrent to illegal behaviour on the railway,” said a Department of Transport spokesperson.
