Kids on train tracks and vehicle collisions spark warning on north Qld cane rail

The sugarcane industry is issuing a stark warning to motorists following a spate of dangerous incidents at rail crossings in North Queensland. Over the last six weeks, Wilmar Sugar has recorded numerous crashes and near misses, leading to significant damage and disruptions.

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Incidents occur each year, but it would appear that in the last six weeks we've had a more concentrated number of incidents that have occurred right up and down the coast.

Incidents range from vehicles smashing through boom gates and flattening give-way signs to trains derailing after collisions with tractors. One particularly alarming event saw a vehicle towing a caravan narrowly miss a cane train near Sarina. In another instance, tracks were closed for 24 hours near Ingham after a tractor caused a train to derail.

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We're lucky that loco [cane train] has narrowly missed a collision with that caravan.

Adding to the concern, footage has emerged of children riding motorbikes directly on the railway tracks in the Burdekin region, even as trains approach. Glenn Betteridge, chair of Canegrowers Burdekin, expressed dismay, emphasizing that train drivers are often local community members who do not need the added stress and danger of potentially harming someone.

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They have children and grandchildren and I'm sure they don't want to be responsible for hurting someone or, even worse, getting someone killed on those lines.

David Zeller, Wilmar's general manager for cane supply and grower relations, stressed the critical need for vigilance. He highlighted that cane trains operate around the clock and require up to a kilometer to stop fully loaded. "Take notice of the signage that's there and most of all, give way to the locomotives," Zeller urged, emphasizing the potential for severe impacts on growers if lines are shut down due to accidents.

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Depending on the seriousness of the incidents, a line could be shut down for a number of days. This can have severe impact on those growers who receive their cane bins on that line.