Narromine has been selected as one of two locations to trial new safety technology at rail level crossings.

“Crashes at level crossings can have tragic outcomes, leaving families and communities devastated. This trial harnesses technology to improve visibility at these rural sites with the aim to save lives," Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said when announcing the initiative.

In 2015, Narromine was the scene of one such tragedy when a man died after his loaded grain truck collided with a freight train at a railway crossing on the Tullamore Road, five kilometres south of the town.

Between 2001 to 2020, there were 154 crashes between trains and vehicles at level crossings in NSW, with 14 fatalities and 24 serious injuries. There has been a crash at a NSW level crossing approximately every six weeks between 2001 to 2020.

According to Minister Aitchison, Narromine was selected as it has characteristics typical of many regional level crossings to ensure a representative trial of the technology in varied conditions.

Narromine will have two sites for the trial - Dandaloo Road and Old Backwater Road - with the other location at Bribbaree near Young.

In 2021, Ethan Hunter aged 27 and his friend Mark Fenton aged 50, died at Bribbaree, near Young when a freight train collided with a B-double truck on a passive crossing. A passive crossing is

where a motorist is required to obey the sign control and determine when it is safe to proceed.

A petition calling for improved safety and mandatory warning lights was launched Mr Hunter's fiance, Maddie Bott, following the tragedy at Bribbaree and gathered more than 21,000 signatures.

The petition was presented in NSW Parliament on 11 November 2021 and the Emerging Technologies branch of Transport for NSW was directed by the NSW Government to develop technology trials designed to improve level crossing safety.

Ms Aitchison said the safety of road and rail users across the NSW road network is a top priority, and after extensive investigations into making level crossings safer the flashing lights trial has been introduced.

“For years I’ve worked closely with Maddie Bott, who lost her fiancé Ethan at a crossing in 2021, and supported her petition to Parliament to make warning lights mandatory at level crossings in NSW," she said.

Ms Bott is determined to make a difference and prevent other families from experiencing such tragedy.

"My goal is to do just that," she told the ABC. "I have never thought about myself making a difference I just want to prevent pain so today I am petitioning for lights to be made mandatory at all level crossings at a minimum," she said. "I know that if lights were on that railway Ethan and Mark would be here today."

The new trials are designed to improve safety by improving driver awareness of the level crossing and its risk. At Old Backwater Road, advance warning signs with LED lights will be in place and on Dandaloo Road, augmented stop signs with LED lights will be installed. The Bribbarree trial site will have both signs and LED lights.

In addition to this trial, the NSW Government last month completed a speed limit review at 103 level crossings across regional NSW, reducing speeds from up to 110 kilometres per hour at some sites

While level crossing collisions between trains and vehicles are a major road safety risk. While infrastructure improvements will continue to reduce risk at level crossings, it is also important that drivers, riders and pedestrians take care and obey the road rules each time they encounter a level crossing.

Narromine Shire Council is supporting the trial which is expected to operate for 24 months at the three locations.