Queensland Rail’s CEO Nick Easy said:
The safety of our employees is our utmost priority.
Bob Knights was a longstanding member of the Queensland Rail team and we’re continuing to mourn his loss. This was a tragic accident, which affected many at Queensland Rail who knew Bob well.
We’ve been assisting the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in its independent investigation into the incident and welcome its final report.
The ATSB has advised its findings predominantly align with an internal investigation already undertaken by Queensland Rail post-incident.
The ATSB did not identify any safety issues likely to affect the future of safe operations, stemming from an organisation or systemic problem, and has advised that possession planning prior to the incident, and train handling on the night, did not contribute to the collision occurring.
The report found a number of potential contributing factors, which Queensland Rail was already aware of through its own investigations and has taken steps to address.
Since this incident, Queensland Rail has undertaken a thorough review of its safe working practices for on-track workers, including Personal Continuous Vigilance (PCV) processes and the use of mobile devices in the rail corridor.
They have also re-trained staff and implemented improved pre-start briefings that reinforce its safety-first culture.
Queensland Rail’s safety rules and procedures are based on guiding principles established by the Rail Industry Safety Standards Board and are independently assured by the Office of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Rail Safety Regulator.
Queensland Rail has a strong commitment to its safety record. This includes being below target for customer injuries per million journeys in 2018-19, and achieving our best recorded Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) rate in almost four years during that time.
