By Laura Wakely
WESTERN Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn says planning is underway for a grade separation at Main Rd in St Albans after a man was struck by a train last week.
The man, aged in his 40s, is believed to have jump the fence at St Albans Station in an attempt to beat a city-bound V/Line train at around 4.30pm on Tuesday 24 January.
His death is the third in four months on the Sydenham line, and the second at a St Albans level crossing – schoolgirl Teresa Ho died when she was hit by a train at the Furlong Rd level crossing in October last year.
Mr Finn said he was “very distressed” to hear of the man’s death.
“My sympathies go out to the victim’s family,” Mr Finn said.
“As we have seen on far too many occasions, if you ignore the bells, if you ignore the lights, the gates and the barriers, you are taking your life into your own hands.
“I beg people not to do that.”
Mr Finn said “planning processes” were happening for the Main Rd grade separation but said construction should have begun during Labor’s 11 years of Government.
“Even if we had started building that underpass the day we were elected, we still wouldn’t have it finished by now,” he said.
“It’s a huge project.
“But we are totally and absolutely committed to fixing this problem.”
The Transport Safety Commission previously told Star that there had been six fatalities at the Furlong Rd crossing since 1995 and one fatality at the Main Rd crossing in 2007, along with a number of injuries (Enough is enough, St Albans Star, 19 October 2011).
Last week’s incident brings the number of fatalities at each of the level crossings to eight in 17 years.
But St Albans Traders Association secretary Asip Demiri believes the numbers are much higher.
Mr Demiri said the St Albans level crossings was the number one local issue and that residents would be “relentless” in their campaign for grade separations.
He said governments past and present had “laughed at the deaths of these people” by not beginning construction.
“Tell us how you’re going to do it, how’s it going to look, when’s it going to start and when’s it going to finish,” he said.
“Not a person in the world knows. I don’t know what could be more important than people’s lives.”
Star contacted Public Transport Minister Terry Mulder but received no response before going to print.
