The driver suspects he has hit a child on the tracks. Photo / Horowhenua Chronicle
The driver suspects he has hit a child on the tracks. Photo / Horowhenua Chronicle
A KiwiRail train driver has been stood down from duties after a near miss with a child at Levin Railway Station.
The driver of the Northern Explorer train heading to Auckland through Levin about 9.30am Friday slammed on the brakes after he saw a child run from the platform in front of the train.
A KiwiRail spokesperson said the driver saw the child run close to the train.
"Initially the driver thought the child may have been struck.
"Following a search of the area and under the train by police and Kiwirail staff, it was determined the child had not been hit and officials were treating the incident as a "near miss".
The spokeperson said the driver would be stood down until until they were ready to return to work and offered all the support they required.
Emergency services at the scene. Photo / Horowhenua Chronicle
"This is a strong reminder of the serious dangers of trespassing on the rail network and people must only cross the track where it is safe for them to do so," the KiwiRail spokesperson said.
Police are describing the child as a European teenager of about 16, with Sergeant Sam Gilpin stating the young person appeared to be text messaging at the time.
The area where the boy tried to cross was not a designated crossing for the public to use.It was a dangerous move, Mr Gilpin said.
"Those trains do travel at quite a speed and they can't just stop."
Meanwhile, quilting supplies store Crazy Cow owner Trish Tilbury said people crossed the tracks outside the station all the time and she didn't believe it was a dangerous spot to cross.
"You can see and hear the trains coming," she said.
However, Tracksafe manager Megan Drayton said the outcome could have a been a lot worse for the young person if they had been collected by the fast-moving train.
"We are very pleased that today's incident did not result in a tragedy and our thoughts are with the child and also the train driver, who would have found this situation extremely upsetting," she said.
"We urge parents to speak to their children about crossing railway tracks safely, and to never take shortcuts across tracks. Trains can be extremely quiet and a fully laden freight train cannot stop in a hurry to avoid something on the tracks.
"People who cross train tracks where there is no crossing are trespassing."The only places that people are legally allowed to cross tracks is at a level crossing where there will be warning signs or signals to help people cross safely."
Trespassing is the leading cause of rail related deaths in New Zealand and around the world.
More than 230 people have died from trespassing on railway tracks in New Zealand since 1993.
This year alone there have been more than 250 reports by train drivers of people trespassing on railway tracks. Of those, around 60 were classified as a near miss.
