Click here to Download the Article in PDF Format
Following an incident of two males trespassing in the rail corridor to capture footage of trains
near Seymour, Victoria, yesterday, ARTC is urging photographers and filmmakers to stay
safe and keep out of the rail corridor, an ARTC spokesperson said today.
“All too often we are seeing people push the boundaries trying to capture that ‘perfect
image’, but if attitudes don?t change soon we are going to see tragedy like that seen
overseas in the past 12 months,” the spokesperson said.
At 11.40am yesterday ARTC had to respond to two trespassers filming alongside their
vehicle inside the rail corridor at Avenel, North of Seymour, and request them to leave.
“Whether you are a commercial photographer, hobbyist or a member of the media – the
rules are the same – it is illegal to enter the rail corridor unless you are authorised to do so
and it should be viewed as a ‘high danger worksite’,” the spokesperson said.
“The people that work in the rail corridor are trained, hold relevant certification and are
authorised to be there. By entering without authorisation to capture imagery – it is not only
illegal, you are putting your own safety at risk, as well as train drivers, crew and
passengers.”
“We understand that people want to take photos and film trains and the rail corridor because
it is a great location for imagery, but there is a right and wrong way of doing things.”
“Every year across Australia we see more than 5,000 incidents of trespass on the rail
network, that’s over 13 trespasses each day, or one every two hours.
“The sad thing is, tragedy does, and has happened as a consequence of poor behaviour.”
“At its worst, it can lead to serious injury or death if that person is struck by a train.
“By promoting safe behaviours around the rail corridor through our actions, in our imagery
and in our stories, we can hopefully start reducing these kinds of avoidable incidents.”
In August 2014 ARTC released a user-friendly guide and webpage called “Think about the
track before you snap” to provide some tips and advice for filmmakers and photographers
planning to take imagery near the rail corridor. It is available here