2017 Annual Incident Statistics

2017 Annual incident statistics

Victorian Tram Operators

Released in

March 2018

Published by Transport Safety Victoria

Level 15, 121 Exhibition Street

Melbourne, Victoria 3000

Telephone: 1800 223 022

This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968(Cth).

Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne.

Contents

Introduction

1.Executive summary

2.Reporting requirements in Victoria

3.Changes to information

4.Definitions

4.1.Serious injury

4.2.Person type

4.3.Collision

4.4.Derailment

4.5.Suspected suicide or attempted suicide

4.6.Broken rail

Descriptive statistics

5.Tram - Occurrences with injuries

5.1.Fatalities by person type

5.2.Fatalities by occurrence type

5.3.Serious injuries by person type

5.4.Serious injuries by occurrence type

5.5.Serious injuries by classification and person type

5.6.Serious injuries details

5.7.Passenger serious injuries by age group

6.Tram - Occurrences

6.1.Running line derailment

6.2.Collision between trams

6.3.Collision with person

6.4.Collision with infrastructure

6.5.Collision with road vehicle

6.6.Slip, trip or fall on tram

6.7.Slip, trip or fall on platform tram interface

6.8.Track and civil infrastructure irregularity - broken rail

6.9.Fire on tram

Charts

Chart 1 - Fatalities by person type

Chart 2 - Serious injuries by person type

Chart 3 - Passenger serious injuries by age group

Chart 4 - Running line derailment

Chart 5 - Collision between trams

Chart 6 - Collision with person

Chart 7 - Collision with infrastructure

Chart 8 - Collision with road vehicle

Chart 9 - Slip, trip or fall on tram

Chart 10 - Slip, trip or fall on platform tram interface

Chart 11 - Track and civil infrastructure irregularity - broken rail

Chart 12 - Fire on tram

Tables

Table 1 - Metropolitan tram passenger journeys in millions

Table 2 - travelled kilometres by metropolitan trams in millions

Table 3 - Fatalities by person type

Table 4 - Fatalities by occurrence type

Table 5 - Serious injuries by person type

Table 6 - Serious injuries by occurrence type

Table 7 - Serious injuries by classification and person type

Table 8 - Serious injuries details

Table 9 - Running line derailment

Table 10 - Collision between trams

Table 11 - Collision with person

Table 12 - Collision with infrastructure

Table 13 - Collision with road vehicle

Table 14 - Slip, trip or fall on tram

Table 15 - Slip, trip or fall on platform tram interface

Table 16 - Track and civil infrastructure irregularity - broken rail

Table 17 - Fire on tram

Introduction

1.Executive summary

This document provides an overview of tram incident statistics for Victoria up to the end of the calendar year 2017. The performance shown in this document should be considered against a background of increased patronage and tram travel distance.

Over the past five years, metropolitan tram patronage has increased by seven per cent over the period between 2013 and 2017, with 177.2 million passenger journeys in 2013 and 189.7 million passenger journeysin 2017[1].

Table 1 - Metropolitan tram passenger journeys in millions

Data / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017
Passenger journeys / 177.2 / 181.9 / 185.3 / 187.9 / 189.7
Yearly variance / 2.6% / 1.9% / 1.4% / 1%

The total travelled kilometres by metropolitan tramshave increased by 7.3 per cent between 2013 and 2017, with 25 million km travelled in 2013 and 26.9 million km travelled in 20171.

Table 2 - Travelled kilometres by metropolitan trams in millions

Data / 2013 / 2014 / 2015 / 2016 / 2017
Travelled kilometers / 25.0 / 25.8 / 25.4 / 26.4 / 26.9
Yearly variance / 2.9% / -1.6% / 4.2% / 1.7%

Where information is available, trends are typically shown using average numbers over the preceding five years. For example, the five year moving average figure for 2013is the average of values for the years 2009 to 2013, while the moving average figure for 2014 is the average of values for the years 2010 to 2014.

There were over 1,930 incidents reported by tram operators to Transport Safety Victoria (TSV)in 2017. The key points shown by the 2017 tram incident statistics are provided below.

No fatalities involving tramswere reported by tram operators in the past three years.
The number of reported serious injuries in 2017 was lower than in 2016. There were 67 serious injuries in 2017 and 69 in 2016.
Of those 67 serious injuries in 2017,33were theresult ofpassenger slips, trips or falls. Passengers aged between 65 and 98 were involved in 24 of those incidents, representing 73 per cent of those serious injuries.
The number of running line derailments, collisions between trams and fires on trams are at their lowest for the past five years.
The number of collisions with persons, collisions with road vehicles and slips, trips or falls are at their highest for the past five years.
The number of reported slips, trips or falls on trams continues to increase.The 2017 increase is 34per cent compared with 2016 and equates to an increase of 140% over the past five years.
There was a two per centincrease in the number of reported collisions with road vehicles from 962 in 2016 to 977in 2017.

TSV is working with KDR Victoria Pty Ltd (KDR), trading as Yarra Trams, to investigate the increased incidence of serious injuries being reported. The increase appears to be primarily a result of passenger slips, trips and falls for both on trams and at the platform-tram interface. These incidents and their prevention are addressed monthly in safety meetings between TSV and KDR. KDR is currently examining a range of measures including engineering changes to trams acceleration and braking, revised driver training, driver visual display upgrades and incident hot spot location assessments.

2.Reporting requirements in Victoria

Tram operators and a number of tourist and heritage operators are required to report rail incidents to TSV in accordance with the requirements of the Rail Safety (Local Operations) Act 2006 (Vic) (RSLOA) and Rail Safety (Local Operations) (Accreditation and Safety)Regulations 2017 (Vic) (RSLOASR).

TSV uses the data it collects from rail operators to monitor trends and safety risks across the Victorian transport network.

It is important to note that tram operators (including metropolitan, regional and tourist and heritage operators) are rail operators under the RSLOA.

3.Changes to information

The information contained in this report is the intellectual property of TSV and is year-to-date (YTD) December 2017. It is sourced from its Occurrence Database, which stores data as reported to TSV by rail operators, as at16 February 2018. The information might be adjusted to reflect new information that comes to light at anytime without prior notice. Consequently, minor variations may exist when compared with previous publications.

Variations in information from year to year are evident in this report. Improvements in safety are generally expected to occur over time as enhancements are made to systems. Low frequency - high consequence events, such as those occasionally experienced in the transport industry, and changes to transport demand, such as increasing patronage, can also result in variations in the information.

4.Definitions

Railway accident or incident as defined in the RSLOASR:

an accident or incident on railway premises that results in
the death of a person
a person requiring immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital
a running line derailment of any unit of rolling stock
a collision between any rolling stock and any person
a collision between any rolling stock and any other vehicle, infrastructure, obstruction or object which resulted in significant property damage
an implosion, explosion, fire or other occurrence which resulted in significant property damage
a notifiable accident or incident.

Notifiable circumstance as defined in the RSLOASR means a circumstance, act or omission that resulted, or had the potential to result, in the death or serious injury to any person, or significant damage to property. The definition includes:

any defect in, or failure of, any part of the rail infrastructure
any defect in, or failure of, any rolling stock or part of any rolling stock
any failure or breach of any rail operations practice, procedure or rule
any other circumstance, act or omission that the Safety Director has specified under regulation 42(2) to be a notifiable circumstance.

TSV uses the Guideline for the Top Event Classification of Notifiable Occurrences as a resource when classifying rail incidents (Occurrence Classification-Guideline One (OC-G1)).

4.1.Serious injury

Defined in the RSLOASR as“a person requiring immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital”.

4.2.Person type

A passenger is a person travelling or intending to travel.
A public is any other person affected by a railway occurrence.
A trespasser is a person on railway premises who, whether intentionally or negligently, is in a place they have no right or authority to be or for the purpose of carrying out unauthorised activities.

4.3.Collision

When a tram strikes another tram, obstruction, person or other object or is struck by another object.

4.4.Derailment

When one or more tram wheels leave the rail or track during railway operations.

4.5.Suspected suicide or attempted suicide

Suspected suicide is any suspected suicide that takes place in or from railway property.
Attempted suicide refers to any person who unsuccessfully attempts to take their own life on railway property.

4.6.Broken rail

A fracture of the rail in a running line including a broken joint or weld, or detachment of a piece from the rail which necessitates an immediate stoppage of traffic or the immediate imposition of a speed restriction lower than that currently in force.

Descriptive statistics

5.Tram - Occurrences with injuries

This section provides data about rail occurrences that involved injuries.

5.1.Fatalities by person type

This section provides information about fatalities that occurred from 2013 to 2017. The data excludes suspected suicides and deaths fromnatural causes.

Chart 1shows the number of fatalities by person type (members of the public and trespassers) that occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017 and the five year moving average. This data is also represented in Table 3.

The total number of fatalities was three in 2013 andone in 2014.

The five year moving average decreased from 1.4 in 2013 to 0.8 in 2017.

Public fatalities were three in 2013.Trespasser fatality was one in 2014.

Chart 1 - Fatalities by person type

Table 3 - Fatalities by person type

5.2.Fatalities by occurrence type

Table 4shows the number of fatalities by occurrence type (collision) that occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Fatalities resulting from collision were three in 2013 and one in 2014.

Table 4 - Fatalities by occurrence type

5.3.Serious injuries by person type

This section provides information about serious injuries that occurred from 2013 to 2017. The data excludes attempted suicides and natural causes.

Chart 2shows the number of serious injuries by person type (employee, member of the public andpassenger) that occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017and the five year moving average. This data is also represented in Table 5.

The total number of serious injuries was 31 in 2013, 43 in 2014, 51 in 2015, 69 in 2016 and 67 in 2017.

The five year moving average increased from 23.6 in 2013 to 52.2 in 2017.

Employee serious injuries were two in 2016 and one in 2017.

Passenger serious injuries were 20 in 2013, 27 in 2014, 17 in 2015, 51 in 2016 and 35 in 2017.

Public serious injuries were 11 in 2013, 16 in 2014, 34 in 2015, 16 in 2016 and 31 in 2017.

Chart 2 - Serious injuries by person type

Table 5 - Serious injuries by person type

5.4.Serious injuries by occurrence type

Table 6shows the number of serious injuries by occurrence type (collision, derailment, level crossing occurrence, rollingstock irregularity, safeworking irregularity/breach and slip, trip or fall) that occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017.

Serious injuries resulting from collision were 14 in 2013, 20 in 2014, 32 in 2015, 18 in 2016 and 32 in 2017.

Serious injuries resulting from derailment were one in 2014, one in 2015 and one in 2017.

Serious injury resulting from level crossing occurrence was one in 2015.

Serious injury resulting from rollingstock irregularity was one in 2017.

Serious injury resulting from safeworking irregularity/breach was one in 2016.

Serious injuries resulting from slip, trip or fall were 17 in 2013, 22 in 2014, 17 in 2015, 50 in 2016 and 33 in 2017.

Table 6 - Serious injuries by occurrence type

5.5.Serious injuries by classification and person type

Table 7shows the number of serious injuries by classification and person type in 2017.

Table 7 - Serious injuries by classification and person type

5.6.Serious injuries details

Table 8lists the serious injuriesin 2017.

Table 8 - Serious injuries details

Date / Person type / Occurrence and Category Type / Locality / Count
04/01/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Prahran / 1
05/01/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Melbourne CBD / 1
06/01/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Toorak / 1
19/01/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
22/01/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Ascot Vale / 1
25/01/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Southbank / 1
08/02/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Melbourne CBD / 1
16/02/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Hawthorn East / 1
18/02/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Melbourne CBD / 1
19/02/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Coburg / 1
01/03/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Southbank / 1
01/03/2017 / Public / Collision - person / North Melbourne / 1
07/03/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Melbourne CBD / 1
09/03/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Malvern / 1
13/03/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
13/03/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Prahran / 1
30/03/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
01/04/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
10/04/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Southbank / 1
05/05/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Balwyn North / 1
06/05/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Carlton / 1
10/05/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Southbank / 1
12/05/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / East Melbourne / 1
22/05/2017 / Employee / Derailment - running line derailment / Parkville / 1
29/05/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Clifton Hill / 1
03/06/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Melbourne CBD / 1
22/06/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Malvern / 1
30/06/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Fitzroy / 1
06/07/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Glenhuntly / 1
06/07/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Southbank / 2
08/07/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Balwyn / 1
09/07/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Southbank / 1
21/07/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Melbourne CBD / 1
26/07/2017 / Public / Collision - person / St. Kilda East / 1
31/07/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Carlton / 1
01/08/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Carlton / 1
13/08/2017 / Public / Collision - person / St. Kilda / 1
28/08/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
31/08/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Melbourne CBD / 1
03/09/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Fitzroy / 1
07/09/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
08/09/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Flemington / 1
10/09/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / St. Kilda / 1
10/09/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Albert Park / 1
11/09/2017 / Passenger / Rollingstock irregularity - other / Bundoora / 1
23/09/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Malvern / 1
29/09/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Malvern / 2
08/10/2017 / Public / Collision - person / St. Kilda / 1
09/10/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Glenhuntly / 1
15/10/2017 / Passenger / Collision - tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
16/10/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Coburg / 1
19/10/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / St. Kilda / 1
22/10/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - to/from tram / Docklands / 1
28/10/2017 / Public / Collision - person / North Melbourne / 1
29/10/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Balwyn / 1
03/11/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / South Melbourne / 1
12/11/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Port Melbourne / 1
15/11/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / North Melbourne / 1
17/11/2017 / Public / Collision - road vehicle / Hawthorn / 1
27/11/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Richmond / 1
30/11/2017 / Public / Collision - person / Albert Park / 1
04/12/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Southbank / 1
05/12/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Docklands / 1
12/12/2017 / Passenger / Slip, trip or fall - on tram / Melbourne CBD / 1
25/12/2017 / Public / Collision - person / St. Kilda / 1

5.7.Passenger serious injuries by age group

Chart 3shows the number of serious injuries in 2017 involving passengers by age group.

There were 33 serious injuries resulting from passengers slips, trips or falls. Passengers aged between 65 and 98 were involved in 24 of those incidents, representing 73 per cent of those serious injuries.

Chart 3 - Passenger serious injuries by age group

6.Tram - Occurrences

6.1.Running line derailment

This section provides information about running line derailments that occurred from 2013 to 2017.

Chart 4shows the number of running line derailments that occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017 and the five year moving average. This data is also represented inTable 9.

The total number of running line derailments was 20 in 2013, 20 in 2014, 27 in 2015, 24 in 2016 and 11 in 2017.

The five year moving average decreased from 30 in 2013 to 20.4 in 2017.

Chart 4 - Running line derailment

Table 9 - Running line derailment

6.2.Collision between trams

This section provides information about collisions between tramsthat occurred from 2013 to 2017.

Chart 5shows the number of collisions between trams that occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017 and the five year moving average. This data is also represented in Table 10.

The total number of collisions between trams was 16 in 2013, 14 in 2014, nine in 2015, 13 in 2016 and seven in 2017.

The five year moving average decreased from 19.4 in 2013 to 11.8 in 2017.

Chart 5 - Collision between trams

Table 10 - Collision between trams

6.3.Collision with person

This section provides information about collisions with personthat occurred from 2013 to 2017.

Chart 6shows the number of collisions with personthat occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017 and the five year moving average. This data is also represented inTable 11.

The total number of collisions with person was 27 in 2013, 35 in 2014, 36 in 2015, 44 in 2016 and 50 in 2017.

The five year moving average decreased from 39 in 2013 to 38.4 in 2017.

Chart 6 - Collision with person

Table 11 - Collision with person

6.4.Collision with infrastructure

This section provides information about collisions with infrastructurethat occurred from 2013 to 2017.

Chart 7shows the number of collisions with infrastructurethat occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017 and the five year moving average. This data is also represented inTable 12.

The total number of collisions with infrastructure was four in 2013, five in 2014, 11 in 2015, 9 in 2016 and 11 in 2017.

The five year moving average increased from 6.2 in 2013 to eight in 2017.

Chart 7 - Collision with infrastructure

Table 12 - Collision with infrastructure

6.5.Collision with road vehicle

This section provides information about collisions with road vehiclethat occurred from 2013 to 2017.

Chart 8shows the number of collisions with road vehiclethat occurred in each year from 2013 to 2017 and the five year moving average. This data is also represented inTable 13.

The total number of collisions with road vehicle was 835 in 2013, 818 in 2014, 853 in 2015, 962 in 2016 and 977 in 2017.

The five year moving average increased from 877 in 2013 to 889 in 2017.

Chart 8 - Collision with road vehicle

Table 13 - Collision with road vehicle