Western Bay motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are being warned to take care at railway crossings as more trains travel through the region.
KiwiRail has increased the number of trains travelling along the East Coast Main Trunk rail line, which travels between Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Hamilton. It is one of the busiest railway lines in the country.
It now has 14 return services a day, up from nine.
A KiwiRail spokesperson said the additional freight services would operate evenly throughout the day and night and would run to and from the Port of Tauranga, both at Sulphur Point and Mount Maunganui.
The increase in freight services could be attributed to a growth in rail volumes from the Port of Tauranga and increase in business from Fonterra at the Port, the spokesperson said.
Western Bay locals celebrated the news on the Bay of Plenty Times Facebook page. Many said the increased services were a boost for Tauranga.
Mount Maunganui's Hayden Dugmore said "yay for productivity" while Marc McAllister said the increased services meant growth for the region.
Colleen Gourlay said she thought the increased trains were great, if it meant fewer trucks were on the road.
Mount Maunganui's Lillybeth Melmoth said there had been "so many more trains at the lines at Bayfair roundabout" which she crossed everyday.
Ontrack, which is part of the KiwiRail Group, said on its website the railway lines between Auckland and Tauranga were the busiest freight routes in the country.
"Containerised goods travel both ways between the Port of Tauranga and Auckland and bulk cargoes travel to and from Tauranga.
"Despite rail carrying a lot of cargo, there is heavy road congestion in the area. Increasing the volume of goods carried on rail has the potential to reduce congestion, make the roads safer and benefit the environment by reducing exhaust emissions."
KiwiRail infrastructure and engineering general manager Rick van Barneveld urged road users to be careful around all level crossings and be aware of the increased train services on the East Coast Main Trunk rail line.
He said it was easy for people to become accustomed to train traffic in areas they drove around regularly.
"Train schedules can and do change and so they should expect a train at any time," he said.
Iris Thomas, cycle safety advocate, said the increase in train services was good for the region and road users had to deal with it, including cyclists. She said the most important thing for a cyclist was not to wear an MP3 player when out riding.
"Your ears are equally as important as your eyes when you're cycling. If you don't see a train going across a crossing you should certainly be able to hear it so there should never be any troubles going across crossings," Ms Thomas said.
Cyclist inattention was worrying and it was important not to get complacent, particularly when cycling with another person.
Sergeant Wayne Hunter, of Western Bay of Plenty road policing, said the behaviour of road users at rail crossings across the Western Bay was generally good.
Mr Hunter said police had been notified twice this month by train drivers who saw drivers go through the lights or over the crossing when the barrier arms were on their way down.
Two incidents in a month was "more than what we usually get" but Mr Hunter said Western Bay drivers normally followed the rules in relation to rail safety.
In the instances where train accidents have occurred, the victims were unaware of an approaching train.
"It's inattention, most of the time, not offenders flouting the rules.
"It's more been people not realising the lights and bells are going off," Mr Hunter said.
Mr Hunter urged drivers who saw other motorists breaking the rail rules to phone *555 or phone the Greerton police station where the information would be followed up.
RAILWAY CROSSING RULES
When approaching a railway level crossing, slow down and be ready to stop.
As you come up to the railway line, look both ways and make sure both directions are clear.
Only cross the railway if you are sure there are no trains coming in either direction and there are no vehicles parked in front of you on the other side of the crossing.
Many crossings are controlled by flashing red lights, bells and/or barrier arms. You must stop if you notice the lights flashing, the bells on and/or the barrier arm has started to lower.
Do not cross until the barrier arms have lifted, the lights have stopped flashing and the bells have stopped ringing.
If there is a stop sign, you must come to a complete stop.
Source NZTA
RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
December 2011: Te Maia Rameka, 53, was hit by a train and killed when he walked from his home in Kairua Rd, off State Highway 2, to the shops at Papamoa.
January 2011: A Te Puke motorist escaped uninjured after a train ploughed into a trailer he was towing across a level crossing at State Highway 2 and Pah Rd.
April 2010: Mount Maunganui woman Kumiko Goodhall was hit and killed by a train while crossing railway lines at Matapihi.
June 2009: John Litchfield, 85, was killed when he attempted to cross train tracks from Maunganui Rd towards Omanu Golf Club course.
June 2007: Ryan Jamieson, 22, and his sister, Keeley Jamieson, 20, died when a train smashed into their car on a rail crossing at Te Tumu Rd near Kiwifruit 360.
September 2006: A man driving a Mini collided with a freight train travelling at 70km/h and escaped without injury.
September 2005: A Bay of Plenty school bus narrowly avoided collision with an oncoming freight train at a level crossing on Caverhill Rd, between Te Puke and Kawerau. An investigation found the driver was playing "chicken" with the train and had 26 college passengers on board.