Train driver Hayleigh shares her story as part of National Rail Safety Week

“I didn't even give train drivers a thought until I became one. The risks motorists take at level crossings didn’t really cross my mind before becoming exposed to this job.”

Now in the driver’s seat of a 90-tonne locomotive, Hayleigh from Aurizon’s Toowoomba depot has an entirely different perspective than as a motorist just two years ago.

“I didn't even give train drivers a thought until I became one,” she said before heading out on one of the heavy hauls from the Darling Downs to the Port of Brisbane.

“The risks motorists take at level crossings didn’t really cross my mind before becoming exposed to this job. I now understand how the traincrew feel, when motorists speed through a crossing. We’re real people sitting in the loco cab – but I’m not sure that (car) drivers always see it that way.”

“Now my family and friends know that I’m a driver, it’s different. They’re more inclined to ask questions about what’s going on and my perspective as a train driver. We need to talk about it more and put these safety messages out into the public.”

Hayleigh lives in a small rural community a short journey from Aurizon’s Toowoomba depot in southern Queensland. She joined Aurizon through our recruitment program that seeks out local talent in areas where our business operates.

“I get to go home every single day. It's not a fly in, fly out job and it's something I've never done before. It's interesting. It's a new challenge. It's great,” she said.

Hayleigh stepped forward with her safety message as part of Aurizon’s level crossing safety campaign Respect the sign. Lives are on the line. The campaign urges motorists to take care, to take notice of safety signs at level crossings to protect themselves and our traincrew.

As someone who has grown up in the local community, Hayleigh has driven dozens of times as a passenger and a motorist across the same level crossings she now traverses as a train driver.

“I want to go home safe every day and I want everyone on the road to make it to their destination as well. As I start the shift safe, I want to end the shift safe. I want the drivers who are driving the cars to go home safe to their family or destinations. No one wants a knock on the door because there's an accident or worse a fatality.”

You can watch the video with these important safety messages from Hayleigh, other rail colleagues and first responders here. You can also get a range of resources of level crossing safety to share in your community and in schools here.

Aurizon is Australia’s largest rail freight business, operating in every mainland state and the Northern Territory, with more than 80% of our 6,000-strong workforce living and working in regional communities across the nation.