Crossing contributed to Qld train crash

An incorrectly designed level crossing contributed to a crash between a bus and train in north Queensland that left more than a dozen passengers injured, a report has found.

An investigation was launched after a bus collided with the Kuranda Scenic Railway train at a level crossing in Cairns in June last year.

The crash at Portsmith saw 18 people, mainly bus passengers, taken to hospital with injuries.

A Department of Transport and Main Roads report, tabled in parliament on Friday, found the bus driver was to blame because he ignored warning lights and entered the level crossing into the train's path.

But the report also found the stop line was too close to the crossing, meaning the driver was unable to see a primary red flashing light warning of the train's approach.

The driver was stopped at the crossing because traffic had backed up to it from a nearby red light, but once it turned green he began to cross without noticing the train or secondary warning lights, causing the crash.

The report found the driver's failure to notice the train, its whistle or the second set of warning lights could be explained by "inattentional blindness".

"This occurs where a person does not notice an object which is fully visible because their attention is engaged in another task," the report read.

"This may mean that a person may fail to detect an object even though they were looking directly at it."

Cairns Regional Council has since moved the stop line at the crossing three metres back to give drivers a clearer view of both sets of red flashing lights.

The report also recommended the council and Queensland Rail consider the need for boom gates and an audible alarm at the crossing to prevent similar accidents.