A momentary lapse in concentration or rushing to make a train could cost people a happy new year with slip, trips and falls making up nearly 65 per cent of injuries on the Queensland Rail City network.

Statistics reveal in the last 12 months a total of 416 slip, trips and falls incidents were recorded by Queensland Rail with 113 of those occurring at Roma Street station and 62 at Central station.

Queensland Rail Acting Chief Customer Officer Cathy Heffernan said most of these incidents could be prevented by customers taking extra care in and around our stations and trains all year round.

“At Roma Street station 42 of the incidents were people tripping or falling while using the stairs/escalators/travelators with another 29 recorded at Central station, 16 incidents occurred while

customers were walking through Roma Street station and 15 at Central station, and a further eight incidents happened when people were rushing or even running for the train at Roma Street station and Central station,” said Ms Heffernan.

“We know our customers are concerned about their personal safety but they generally only focus on their security; the simple fact is there is a much higher likelihood of being injured rushing for a train or walking and texting at the same time.

“The plain fact is slip, trips and falls affect all our customers whether at the train station, at home or out shopping – everyone is at risk and the injuries can be severe and leave people with lingering pain.

“If we take a moment to think about what we are doing and how we can do it safely, the number of slip, trips and falls could be reduced.

“While not running for the train is an obvious way to prevent an incident, most people wouldn’t think to hold onto the hand rail just in case they slip or trip while using the stairs.”

To help get the message through, a series of safety posters have been placed on trains and at stations throughout the City network as a friendly reminder to stay safe while travelling on the rail network.

“Safety is our number one priority, and the positive and colourful posters educate customers about the simple things they can do to make their journey safe including standing behind the yellow line, not boarding when train doors are closing, being mindful of the gap between the platform and train step, remembering pram safety, and holding the hand rail,” said Ms Heffernan.

“The message we want the community to hear is for people to be safe in everything they do, whether being alert to their surroundings while travelling to work or simply holding the handrail while walking down the stairs. We want all our customers to have an enjoyable experience and being safe is paramount to this.”