Adelaide rail near misses rise as transport officials warn of distracted pedestrians

Adelaide's metropolitan rail lines recorded 163 near misses over the past year's reporting period – up 4 per cent.

Pedestrians accounted for 60 per cent of incidents, and cyclists for 35 per cent.

Transport officials have warned against risky behaviour and urged pedestrians to always pay attention.

Near misses across Adelaide's rail network have increased over 12 months, with one line accounting for nearly half of all reports.

Pedestrians accounted for 98, and cyclists for almost 60, of the 163 near misses reported by train drivers in data that covers the 2025-26 year.

Overall, incidents were up by 4 per cent compared to the previous period.

Almost half of the incidents took place along the Gawler line, with 72 near misses reported.

The Belair line also saw an increase, while the Seaford and Outer Harbor lines saw reductions.

Video released by the SA government shows several alarming incidents along Adelaide's rail lines, including one in which a cyclist pulled back at the last moment and another in which a pedestrian dived out of the way.

SA Transport Minister Joe Szakacs singled out distracted pedestrians as putting lives at risk.

"In just the short four months that I've been minister, I've seen some pretty mind-blowing CCTV footage of people [who], for any other reason, are just not paying attention," he said.

"It is a bee's whisker between them being cleaned up by a train and them getting home safely."

"One of the things which we see more of are people with headphones in their ears who are walking through crossings."

The minister said a passenger train takes 500 metres to stop in an emergency, and freight trains take 2 kilometres.

Train driver Ben Hemmerling said risk-taking witnessed by drivers included pedestrians pushing through automatic barriers at pedestrian crossings and mazes.

"Rather than waiting for the bells and the sounds to stop and wait for the train to pass, they push through and try to beat the train," he said.

"Think twice — think about that train that might not be stopping."

While near misses increased along rail lines, the tram network had a 30 per cent reduction, from 165 incidents to 113.