Stress stops trains

Andrew Mathieson
A spike in people running across rail tracks is sending stressed train drivers into counselling and forcing V/Line to cancel Geelong train services, according to a transport union.
Rail, Trains and Buses Union said incidences of people crossing tracks in front of trains had been “peaking” in recent months.
Rail operations division secretary Victor Moore said a recent “near miss” had forced cancellation of a Saturday afternoon service.
Mr Moore said a train coming into the platform at South Geelong station almost hit the pedestrian.
“It was pretty damn close,” he said.
“The driver went off with trauma, which is what they’re entitled to do in those circumstances.”
Mr Moore said V/Line was unable to find a relief driver and a replacement bus service was almost an hour late.
The incident had traumatised the driver, he said.
“It was extremely close thing from what I was told. They virtually saw the whites of the blokes’ eyes.
“The driver was pretty badly shaken up and thought he hit him.”
The union’s locomotive division secretary, Brian Hill, said near misses were at their highest for the past five years.
“It seems at the moment to be peaking,” Mr Hill said.
“There is a lot more incidents now than what there would normally be annually.”
The increases in near misses coincide with recent V/line figures showing a near 20 per cent jump in Geelong commuters travelling to Melbourne.
More than three million trips were recorded during the past 12 months.
Mr Hill also said V/line was also cancelling services because it was falling behind on the availability of rolling stock.
Drivers had been forced to pick up extra services, which “put them under the pump”.
The union would now consider its position to address the stress-related problems, Mr Hill said.
“We don’t strike but we certainly raising the issues with V/Line management.”