Executive summary
On 20 April 1993 as New Zealand Rail Limited's 1655 train from Wellington to Taita was approaching Wingate one of two children cycling on the station platform fell in front of the train and sustained serious injuries. As a result of the investigation recommendations were made to improve the promulgation of safety information to school children and to impede the free access, of cyclists and skaters, down uninterrupted sloping ramps into railway platforms.
Related Recommendations
Contact the School Trustees Association to facilitate the distribution of advice to all New Zealand Schools on the hazards associated with playing adjacent to active railway tracks.
Evaluate the publicity material available for educating school children on the hazards associated with playing or trespassing near railway tracks.
Review the periodicity of distribution of publicity material to schools in the area of NZRL operations and its relevance to the present environment.
Explore the practicability of encouraging the principal of each school in New Zealand to alert their pupils to the potential hazards associated with the railway environment, not only as trespassers, but also as intending passengers or occupants of a railway platform.
Consider upgrading the first aid training of guards and locomotive engineers to the standard necessary for them to obtain certificates from a recognised first aid organisation
Review the present system of annual re-examination of locomotive engineer's first aid ability with a view to extending it to apply to guards as well
Enlist the assistance of the New Zealand Railways to develop suitable instruction outlines and supporting pictorial and other aids for alerting pupils to such hazards.
Examine the practicality to erecting "crib" type barriers at the lower end of long sloping ramps between overhead bridges and platforms to reduce the hazard to platform users from cyclists and skaters who take advantage of these slopes