What to notify

This page provides guidance on the specific information required when making an immediate notification and when submitting a Rail accident/incident notification form to the Rail Safety Regulation team.

Immediate phone notifications

When an accident or significant incident occurs, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency must be contacted as soon as practicable on 0508 7245 555 (usually straight after emergency services have been called).

You will generally be prompted, but the information you need to provide includes:

your name and contact details
location of incident
time of incident
confirmation of any casualties or serious injuries
brief description of the incident, and
details of any rail vehicles involved.

Rail accident or incident notification forms

The accident/incident notification form contains two sections. The first, section A, contains the mandatory fields that must be completed for all notifications (where possible). Section B contains the fields that may be applicable depending on the type of accident/incident and the people/property involved.

The glossary is available as a reference for explanation of the technical terms.

Section A – Requirements for all notification forms

Organisation/licence holder details

These fields are to confirm the notifying organisation and its up-to-date contact details.

Accident/incident details

Field	What to provide
Incident category	Click the drop-down menu and select the appropriate category for the incident
Incident number/code	The code (if any) used by your organisation to identify the incident
Location	The location where the accident/incident took place (eg name of station or level crossing, bridge number etc.) If a rail vehicle (or other mobile plant) is involved and the incident is only detected on arrival at a destination, the location is that arrival point
Line section ID/name	The line name that identifies the section of track where the accident/incident took place
Metrage	The metrage of the incident where metrage is used by the rail licence holder
Date and time of incident	The date and time the accident/incident took place
Severity rating	Click the drop-down menu and select a rating of 1-4 to indicate the severity of the accident/incident (see table below for guidance)

Severity ratings

For guidance when completing the severity rating field, see Rail occurrence severity ratings.

Accident/incident description

This free-text field must contain the following:

a clear and complete description of the incident
anything known about possible causes of the incident, and
details specific to the accident/incident category (see the Accident and incident categories page for guidance on how to complete this field).

Remedial actions taken

This free-text field must contain the following:

any actions that have been taken to prevent a recurrence of the incident, and
any proposed actions or investigations.

Section B – Specific notification form requirements

Section B of the form contains the fields that only require completion if applicable. For instance, if the incident involved a road vehicle, the fields under ‘Road vehicle involved’ must be completed.

Persons involved

Note: This is only completed if a person has been seriously injured or has died.

Field	What to provide
Person type	Click the drop-down menu and select the appropriate option
Fatality or serious injury	Tick the appropriate box

Rail vehicle involved

Field	What to provide
Rail vehicle type	Click the drop-down menu and select the appropriate option

Second rail vehicle involved

Field	What to provide
Rail vehicle type	Click the drop-down menu and select the appropriate option

Road vehicle involved

Field	What to provide
Description of vehicle (eg make/model)	Identifying features of the road vehicle involved
Description of damage	A description of the damage, if any, the road vehicle sustained

Property damage involved

Field	What to provide
Description of property	Identifying features of the property damaged
Description of damage	A description of the damage incurred, including estimated cost

Field	What to provide
Attachment 1	Any relevant documents or photos. Attachment must be a singular file (not a folder or collection of files).
Attachment 2	Any relevant documents or photos. Attachment must be a singular file (not a folder or collection of files).
Attachment 3	Any relevant documents or photos. Attachment must be a singular file (not a folder or collection of files).

Online services

Immediate phone notifications

Rail accident or incident notification forms

Section A – Requirements for all notification forms

Section B – Specific notification form requirements