More than 4,500 rail workers who have died on Australia’s rail network will be honoured today at the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek, northern NSW.
The ceremony will be held as part of the 21st National Rail Safety Week, which runs from Monday, 10 – Sunday, 16 August.
Werris Creek is the first and last railway town in NSW, a place of deep railway heritage and significance, providing an important setting to commemorate and honour the lives of the dedicated men and women who lost their lives in service.
More than 100 family members, friends and colleagues of those who have lost their lives – alongside representatives from across the Australian rail industry – will gather for a minute’s silence and lay wreaths beside the names etched in stone.
Each of the more than 4,500 names on the National Railway Monument at Werris Creek represents the loss of a railway worker since the 1850s.
This year, two names will be added to the monument:
- Tom Bernard, a high-voltage electrician for Sydney Trains who tragically died in a road incident at Lithgow on 6 November 2025.
- John Cambourn, a railway fettler who was struck by a train while carrying out maintenance work on the line at Ourimbah on 8 December 1974. Volunteers from the Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum undertook extensive research to help identify and formally recognise Mr Cambourn’s service and sacrifice.
Hosted by NSW TrainLink, in partnership with TrackSAFE Foundation, the event is both a moment of reflection and a time for the rail industry to collectively commit to preventing future tragedies among Australia’s 165,000-strong rail workforce through technology upgrades, education, and infrastructure improvements.
Following the memorial event, TrackSAFE will host a national webinar on mental health fitness in the rail industry. More information here.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison:
“All Australians know the inextricable link between our nation and the railways. We are a country of seas, red sand and bush but we are also made of up rail lines, rolling stock and stations.
“The railway is what has always kept us together, and at the heart of that, is the people.
“For the 21st National Rail Safety Week, we honour the men and women who have tragically lost their lives on our railways since the 1850s. They are the very people responsible for building, innovating and sustaining an industry that is deeply woven into the fabric of our communities.
“In honouring them, we also reflect on the rail industry we know today, and what we must do collectively to keep workers safe. The safety of our workers is imperative, and the Minns Labor Government will continue to invest in the measures that protect them.
“I want to acknowledge and thank the thousands of rail workers, operators, engineers, maintenance crews and frontline staff in the NSW rail industry. Your safety will always be at the centre of what we do.”
Quotes attributable to Executive Director, TrackSAFE Foundation, Heather Neil said:
“Regardless of where we live, it is crucial road users know how to be safe around rail.
“Collisions and near collisions at railway crossings are ongoing issues that put lives at risk.
“Any death or injury on the rail network is devastating – not just for the family and friends impacted but also for rail workers involved in the incident and the first responders called upon in the rescue effort. Most of these incidents can be prevented.
“Trains can come anytime, day or night, including when we least expect them. When road crosses over rail, road users must always follow the signs.”
