Auckland train lines to get 15 additional safety gates in bid to 'save lives'

August 12, 2019

Automatic barriers are now being installed at seven rail crossings, and that’s just the beginning.

New rail safety gates are set to be installed by mid-2020 across Auckland to improve safety at crossings. 

Eighteen have been installed in Auckland since 2018, with the Government putting $26 million into upgrading crossings deemed the highest risk level. 

The 15 additional gates will be installed on South and West Auckland lines. The pedestrian gates lock automatically when a train approaches.

Transport Minister Phil Twyford said the automatic gates "saves lives". 

"Since the introduction of automatic pedestrian gates at the site where Keenan Matthes was tragically killed in 2017 , there have been no further reported near misses."

Keenan was 16-years-old when he was hit by a train while jogging wearing headphones.

"I’d like to pay tribute to the Matthes family for their advocacy. Together we're trying to make sure that no other family experiences the same heartbreak."

Mr Twyford said quieter trains were running more frequently - "meaning more chances for accidents".

"There were 415 near misses recorded on railway lines across New Zealand last year. Any of them could have resulted in a tragedy."


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