Increase in Sydney trains running red lights revealed in new data

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

The number of trains running red lights on Sydney's suburban and intercity rail network has jumped 25 per cent in the past year, with more than four incidents per week on average.
The most dangerous scenario resulted in a train derailment on the Richmond line in January, but it was just one of 224 times during the 2024-25 financial year that a train failed to stop at a red signal.
The safety breaches are referred to by Sydney Trains as signal passed at danger (SPAD) incidents.
The data, which was provided exclusively to the ABC by Sydney Trains, showed the number of SPADs had increased by 46, from 178 in the 2023-24 financial year.
Sydney Trains CEO Matt Longland said only a handful of incidents this year would have posed a potential danger to passengers.
There were three other incidents last year that were categorised in the second most serious category — where a train could have potentially collided with another train or infrastructure if it passed a red signal.
Another 21 trains stopped more than 100 metres after a red signal, but remained within a safe distance of other trains.
Mr Longland said the rest were classified as less serious incidents, but all were still investigated.
Mr Longland said the Richmond line derailment was being thoroughly investigated, but it is thought wet weather was largely to blame for the incident, preventing the driver from stopping in time.
Of the 244 SPADs last financial year, 138 were put down to train crew or human error.
"Some drivers can drive for 20 or 30 years and never have a SPAD, and they are very proud of that. For others it might have been a momentary lapse in judgement or a distraction," Mr Longland said.
"Or it might be things like wet weather or sometimes slippery leaf material that collects on the rails."
In two thirds of those cases, the train stopped within 100m of the red signal.
The remaining 86 SPADs were categorised as "technical" incidents — which are usually related to power or communications issues with the signal.
There are a number of safety mechanisms that are activated to try to prevent a crash when a train fails to stop at a red signal.
"In the cab of a train we have a vigilance system to ensure the driver is alert and hasn't had a medical episode. It will automatically stop the train if the driver doesn't acknowledge that," Mr Longland said.
"We also have something called train stops — a small mechanical arm that raises and lowers when the signal is red. If a train passes through that red signal because driver has misjudged or there's been an issue in terms of the stopping distance, the train stop will automatically stop that train.
"Every time there is a SPAD train crews are removed from the train and given a mandatory drug test, then compliance checks and safety investigations are carried out."