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Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board
 
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National Stocktake

In 2009 the RISSB undertook a national review of all active railway level crossings to determine the total number of sites in Australia and New Zealand. The review indicates that there are in excess of 23,532 operational railway level crossings in Australia and more than 3,277 in New Zealand.

Public, private, pedestrian, maintenance and sugarcane railway level crossings were included in the review. However, Victorian private and maintenance railway level crossings were not included nor were complete counts of Queensland and Tasmanian pedestrian railway level crossings as they were yet to be surveyed. Similarly, the New Zealand private railway level crossing count is an estimate as surveys were incomplete at the time of the stocktake. 

Railway Level Crossing Type

Australian Total

New Zealand Total

Australasian Total

Pedestrian

1659

84

1743

Public

8838

1393

10231

Private

12508

1700

14208

Maintenance

566

100

666

Minus Double-ups

-39

0

-39

TOTAL

23532

3277

26809

The number of railway level crossings in Australia and New Zealand will continue to rise and fall as sites are permanently closed and railway level crossings that are yet to be counted are surveyed for the first time. 

To view the full project report, click here.