Two years ago, a Queensland Rail train narrowly avoided disaster after its driver, afflicted by a sudden sneezing fit, failed to stop at a red signal during the morning peak near Fortitude Valley. The incident, recently revealed in a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), highlights critical points of improvement in current rail safety systems.
Incident Overview
The ATSB has just released its final report on the incident, which occurred on 24 May 2023, when a train on the Coopers Plains to Ferny Grove service ran a red signal shortly after departing Fortitude Valley. The driver, who later tested positive for COVID‑19, suffered a sneezing episode and failed to register the red aspect illuminated by the signal. The train passed the stop signal before the emergency brake was applied, coming to a halt approximately 64 metres beyond it—just short of another train waiting about 300 metres ahead at Bowen Hills.
Systemic Safety Weaknesses
Although the train’s automatic warning system (AWS) sounded an alert, it did not prevent the SPAD (Signal Passed At Danger). The ATSB report noted AWS alerts are frequent and uniform, which may desensitise drivers. In this case, the driver failed to respond to the warning amid the sneezing episode.
Importantly, Queensland Rail’s signalling framework lacks automated alerts to central control in the event of a SPAD. Currently, the system depends entirely on drivers self-reporting such incidents. The ATSB cautioned this approach is flawed because a driver may not always realise they have run a red signal.
ATSB Recommendations
The ATSB calls on Queensland Rail to reassess its SPAD risk management and implement additional safeguards to prevent undetected SPAD occurrences. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell emphasised that most collisions are preceded by a SPAD event, making prevention vital.
Queensland Rail’s Response
In its response, Queensland Rail affirmed that safety remains its top priority. The operator highlighted several measures already in place, such as a dedicated SPAD prevention taskforce, driver training programs, and the progressive rollout of the European Train Control System (ETCS)—an advanced technology capable of automatically stopping trains if drivers miss signals.
Other improvements include increasing the volume of alarm sounds, upgrading to brighter LED signal lights, adding supplemental warning signs, and refining SPAD hazard assessment protocols — steps Queensland Rail says have led to a notable decrease in SPAD incidents in recent months.
Humanising the Issue
This SPAD event underlines how routine occurrences—such as sudden illness—can interact with technical system gaps and immeasurable human factors to produce near disasters. It reflects the complexity of ensuring safety in a rail network that relies heavily on driver vigilance and raises a question of whether technology can—and should—compensate for momentary human failings.
Published 20-June-2025
