Parliamentary question without notice | Belair Rail Line
13/11/2013
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (14:53): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before yet again asking the minister representing the Minister for Transport Services questions regarding the safety line markings at pedestrian crossings on the Belair train line.
Leave granted.
The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: Mr President, as you and other members are well aware, I have repeatedly asked questions in this place, written letters to the Minister for Transport Services and spoken in the media in the past 12 months regarding safety issues on the Belair train line in particular. I have continued to ask who is responsible for getting a tin of paint and marking the safety lines at pedestrian crossings on the western side of the track.
This matter came to light again recently when an adolescent boy was hit by a train at the Lynton station on the Belair line on 4 October; its being one of the Belair line stations that had line markings only on the eastern side. Since the minister has not yet written back to me or answered my questions without notice or clarified this issue in the media, I wrote to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) myself in an attempt to sort out this very important safety issue.
I have now had a response from the ARTC, and I am happy to share that correspondence with the minister if she requires clarification over who is responsible for providing safety line markings. As there has been no explanation nor clarification from the minister’s office, it suggests that they might already know this themselves. My questions to the minister are:
1.Is the minister aware that the Australian Rail Track Corporation is responsible for the line markings on the western side of the track of the Belair line and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure for the eastern side, and could she explain why this is?
2.If the minister is aware of this, why had she not sought to contact them and ask them to rectify the absent safety line markings on the western side of the Belair line so that commuters on the Belair line can be safe?
3.Is the minister aware that there is currently negotiation occurring between the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure and the Australian Rail Track Corporation over the interface agreement that determines who is responsible for which facility?
4.If the minister is aware of these negotiations, what attempts will she be making to provide better clarity over who is responsible for safety line markings?
5.How will the electrification of our train lines impact on the agreements that DPTI has with the ARTC?
6.Does the minister believe that safety will be more of an issue with electric trains given that they are quieter and more difficult to hear from a distance, particularly when there are corners on lines such as the Adelaide Hills?
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:56): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions and for her persistence in what is a very important issue. I undertake to take those further questions to the Minister for Transport Services in the other place and seek a response on her behalf.
The Hon. K.L. Vincent: If we can actually get one this time, it would be great.
The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: They’re coming.
