WA Member for the Central Wheatbelt Mia Davies has lobbied the WA Government to improve safety at level crossings, as championed by advocate Lara Jensen, whose brother was one of four people killed in a level crossing accident in 2000. Photo: Mia Davies

A SAFETY review into Western Australia’s passive level crossings on public roads has been completed, with safety improvements recommended for 87 level crossings, including 81 in the Wheatbelt region.

WA currently has 960 public road level crossings on operational rail lines.

While around half of these are fitted with active level crossing controls, namely flashing lights or boom gates, 491 have passive controls, being either stop or give way signs.

“The recommendations in this review, which our Government supports and will deliver, means there will no longer be any level crossing on a public road in Western Australia that is controlled by a give way sign,” WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said.

“The upgrades of 13 level crossings to either flashing lights or boom gates means more than half of the level crossings on public roads in Western Australia will have active controls, one of the highest proportions of any state or territory in the country.

“We intend to undertake these works as quickly as possible, with the vast majority of the give way signs to be removed by the middle of next year, and the upgrades of the 13 level crossings to active controls to be undertaken progressively over the next few years.”

Upgrades at the 87 crossings are expected to cost $11.8 million in total.

The seven crossings to be upgraded from give way signs to flashing lights are listed with their CBH zones, and located at:

• Wongan Hills-Calingiri West Rd, Calingiri, Kwinana South zone;
• Koorda-Kulja Rd, Kulja, Kwinana North zone;
• Burakin-Wialki Rd, Cleary, Kwinana North zone;
• Rabbit Proof Fence Rd, Moulyinning, Albany zone;
• North Lake Grace-Karlgarin Rd, Kuender, Albany zone; and,
• Geraldton-Mt Magnet Rd, Mullewa, Geraldton zone.

The six crossings to be upgraded from stop signs to flashing lights are located at:

• Jaurdi Hills Rd, Mount Burgess in the Goldfields region;
• Maralla Rd, Ellenbrook in metropolitan Perth;
• Robert Rd, Ucarty West, Kwinana North zone;
• Moulyerup Rd, Broomehill, Albany zone;
• Wyening East Rd, Wyening, Kwinana South zone; and,
• Telegraph Rd, Culham, Kwinana South zone.

The safety review was commissioned by Main Roads in 2021 and involved visiting all passively-controlled level crossings and undertaking detailed site assessments at each crossing location, in line with an Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model.

The ALCAM process involves the collection of data through a combination of level crossing site surveys as well as train and vehicle volume information from respective rail and road authorities.

The proposed changes will significantly improve safety, and help prevent accidental collisions and near misses, particularly in the regions where roads cross railway tracks.

Following implementation of these changes there will no longer be any give way-controlled level crossings located on main line railways within WA.

Additionally, more than half of all public road level crossings in WA will now be controlled by flashing lights or boom gates, which is above the national average.

It is expected the changes will result in a 33 percent reduction in the cumulative ALCAM risk score across these 87 locations.

There will be no changes to the existing 469 actively controlled level crossings.

Source: WA Government