Safety improvements are being made to the rail corridor through Matamata following the death of a schoolgirl struck by a train earlier this year.
Sarie Morton, 13, was fatally hit on the railway tracks alongside Firth St, near the intersection with College St, at around 3.15pm on March 12.
KiwiRail and Matamata-Piako District Council announced they would remove around eleven trees that currently obstruct visibility for train drivers of anyone approaching the tracks.
More than sixty others would have branches lifted and canopies trimmed to improve view lines, while vegetation along the embankment next to Swap Park would be removed.
KiwiRail acting chief operations officer Paul Ashton said train drivers already sound their horns as they pass through Matamata to alert people to the train’s presence.
“While removing the trees will improve visibility for locomotive engineers, a fully laden freight train takes up to 1km to come to a stop, even with its emergency brakes applied.”
Fencing would also be installed to deter people from entering the rail corridor, said Matamata-Piako District Council chief executive Manaia Te Wiata.
“The council and KiwiRail will start with installing a fence along the western (Firth Street) side of the rail corridor between the Tainui St and Burwood Rd level crossings.
“We are also considering additional fencing and ways to link access to the eastern side of the tracks to the official pedestrian level crossing at Tainui St.”
Ashton said the suggested action of slowing trains or not running them between 3pm and 3.30pm was not viable.
“Freight trains run on a timetable and cover long distances, often travelling through multiple towns, to move our customers’ freight.
“There is a 70km/h speed limit through Matamata but even if trains were to travel more slowly, their weight means that they cannot stop quickly, even if the emergency brake is applied. Slowing or suspending services in residential areas simply would not work.”
He added that the best way to stay safe is by crossing the tracks at designated crossings and looking in both directions for approaching trains.
“To cross anywhere else is both illegal and dangerous.”
Further safety improvements in the area were being considered.
