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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 7 (October 1, 1934)

Safer By Rail

Safer By Rail

There are two ways in which the slogan of the New Zealand Government Railways, “Safer by Rail,” may be read.

The first refers to the constant effort made to provide against all kinds of accidents, whether to individuals or freight, by adequate safeguards on the railway system.

The second relates to the comparative safety offered by the respective modes of transport. The slogan has proved accurate and apt in both respects.

When every year adds something to the wealth of things worth living for, then individual safety in the physical sense becomes increasingly valuable, and any system that can offer transport freed from all calculable risks is likely to gain popularity.

This has been the experience of the New Zealand Railways in recent times. They are carrying more passengers, and, although the safety factor is not the only one operating to produce this result, it definitely counts with many travellers, and might well do so with many more.

In the last nine years (to 30th September, 1934), 205 million passenger journeys have been made by rail in New Zealand, and in that time not one fatality has been caused by the Department to any of its passengers. Some idea of this achievement may be gained from the statement that it is equal to giving the whole population of the Dominion a ride on the train fifteen times a year, in each of the nine years, without causing one fatal accident on these journeys.

It is many years since “Safer by Rail” became a standard statement of the Railways here, and the facts given above surely justify its acceptance.

The records for safe carrying of goods are equally impressive. A well-pleased customer of the Department recently referred to consignments of furniture he had forwarded by train, of which the estimated value was £1,500, and the cost of damage 4/6. Supporting this, figures taken out over the last two years have shewn only one-tenth of a penny cost in claims for every twenty shillings of revenue earned.

Regarding the safety of the travelling public as their first duty, railwaymen have made safety principles a major consideration in all their Departmental activities.

The first road service of the Railway Department was run in 1926. Since then the fleets have been increased and, to date, nearly twenty million passengers have been carried by this means. Here again, through adopting the same attitude in management and control, the training of railwaymen in the care of the public has been successful in safeguarding human life, for there have been no fatalities amongst travellers by the railway-owned road services of the Dominion.

Actually the safety advantages of rail travel are secured by a close study of the factors leading to accident and by action to reduce risk to a minimum. If the same principle were applied to road transport generally it would be to the advantage of the public as a whole. Until then “Safer by Rail” is a statement of fact in regard to transport, which means much to those who place a reasonable estimate on the value of their lives or the protection of their goods.