Passengers should have the utmost confidence in rail travel in Queensland – a position reinforced by a safety record that speaks for itself, QR Chief Executive Officer Lance Hockridge said today.

"Every day QR carries 170,000 people to their destinations safely right across Queensland, including the fast growing south east corner of the state," Mr Hockridge said.

"Passengers take more than 60 million journeys on the QR network each year and with the continuing influx of people into the state and the increasing popularity of rail travel, this figure is growing. 

"The fact there has not been a fatality from a collision of QR trains for more than 20 years demonstrates that our safety system is working." 

Mr Hockridge said media reporting had focussed on one of QR's key safety measures, Signals Passed at Danger (SPADs), following the release of internal investigation reports to the Courier Mail newspaper.

"These are the same reports QR provides to Queensland's independent Rail Safety Regulator," he said. 

"However reporting on and interpretation of these documents should be based on a proper understanding of the QR Safe Working Train System, which is our major train safety system. 

"A SPAD occurs when train passes a red signal without permission. 

"It is not the same as driving through a red traffic light because QR has multiple layers of protection before and after red signals to prevent collisions. 

"In the vast majority of circumstances our drivers are 100% focussed on the job. While it's disappointing that distractions occur very occasionally it is a human reality and that's precisely why we have multiple levels of safety protection." 

Mr Hockridge said travellers on Queensland passenger trains could have every confidence in the QR safety system. 

"Our record speaks for itself and we ask passengers and the community to make their own judgements based on an informed understanding of QR's safety systems and processes.

"A just-published report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare also found that it is approximately 10 times safer to travel by train than by road in a private vehicle.* 

*Serious injury due to transport accidents involving a railway train, Australia, 2001–02 to 2005–06, Jesia G Berry, James E Harrison, AIHW injury research and statistics series No 43, August, Melbourne, 2008.