Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dozens of level crossings on the train line between Geelong and Warrnambool are without warning lights or boom gates.
As authorities continue the clean up from Wednesday’s crash between a Warrnambool-bound passenger train and a truck that left 19 people injured at Pirron Yallock, we can reveal more than a third of the level crossings only have basic signs.
This is despite coronial recommendations to improve safety at level crossings following a fatal 2007 crash at Kerang, which claimed the lives of 11 people.
Transport Safety Victoria data shows there have been three collisions and 26 near misses at level crossings between Colac and Warrnambool over the past five years.
A V/Line spokeswoman said a total of 33 level crossings, more than a third of the 94 between Geelong and Warrnambool, were only fitted with give way or stop signs.
The State Government announced last February its plans to upgrade 52 regional level crossings across the state – including the one at Pirron Yallock – at a total cost of $50 million, meaning upgrades cost close to $1 million each.
Lawyer Gary Frost, the head of the personal injuries department at Maddens Lawyers in Warrnambool, said three passengers had already approached the firm about lodging claims with the Traffic Accident Commission (TAC).
He encouraged people injured during the collision to submit a claim to the organisation and seek legal advice.
