The boundary fence between the railway maintenance access track and Gallagher Road had been removed. As a result, over time and with regular use, the false perception that the maintenance access track was part of Gallagher Road was created and reinforced.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation and the Golden Plains Shire have advised that they will work together to permanently isolate the rail corridor from Gallagher Road.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation will commit to work with the Golden Plains Shire Council, as the relevant road authority and adjoining land owner to achieve the permanent closure of the section of Gallagher Road, which is located on the rail corridor. The safe and permanent closure of the roadway at the surveyed boundary requires signage to be installed on the main part of Gallagher Road; hence the safe and effective permanent closure is seen to be a joint project.
The ATSB is satisfied that the actions proposed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation, in combination with Golden Plains Shire, will adequately address this safety issue.
The Golden Plains Shire Council has recently updated its Road Management Plan and intends to revise its Register of Public Roads for the purpose of clarifying the status of roads currently classed as Unmade Roads. The revision will result in roads currently included on the register as a public road and classed as an unmade road, being removed from the register. The council will jointly work with the ARTC to isolate the rail reserve from the road reservation.
The ATSB is satisfied that the actions taken and proposed by Golden Plains Shire, in combination with the Australian Rail Track Corporation, will adequately address this safety issue.
