How are you going?
Get it off your chest.
For after a person under train, a near hit or a level crossing collision. Use it straight away, or any time in the weeks after.
Everything you enter stays on this phone. Nothing is sent to your employer or anyone else. Unladen Rail is a prototype. It is not a medical or emergency service and is not connected to any rail operator.
You can stop now.
Ask control or your supervisor to relieve you. You don't have to keep driving after an incident.
Breathe with this
What you might be feeling
- Shaking, feeling sick, a racing heart
- Numb, or feeling nothing at all
- Going over it again and again
- Anger, guilt, or asking "what if"
- Wanting to be alone, or not wanting to be alone
These are normal reactions to an abnormal event. They usually ease over the following days and weeks.
It was out of your control
A train can need hundreds of metres to stop. When someone is on the track in front of you, there is usually nothing a driver can do in time. What happened was not your fault.
Ground yourself
Look around. Name them, out loud or in your head.
For the rest of today
- Don't drive yourself home if you're shaken. Ask for a lift.
- Say yes to support when it's offered, even if you feel fine now.
- Tell someone at home what happened, as much or as little as you want.
- Eat something, drink water, and go easy on alcohol tonight.
Call someone now
Add your peer supporter and EAP numbers in so they're here when you need them.
Not sure who to tell?
If you don't feel safe going to your manager or depot, there are other people you can go to. You can also write down what happened later, if and when you want to.
How have the last few days been?
Pick the answer closest to how it's been. There are no wrong answers.
Please talk to someone now
You said you've had thoughts of harming yourself or not wanting to be here. Please call one of these now. If you're in immediate danger, call 000.
Travelling OK
This phone isn't letting the page save. Your result shows here but won't be kept.
People you can call
This check-in isn't a medical assessment. It's a way to notice how you're going over time.
How it's been going
Add the date to see suggested check-in days.
Check-ins
This phone isn't letting the page save, so check-ins won't be kept.
Privacy & your data
Add a PIN, download what you've entered, or delete everything from this phone.
Getting back in the cab
There's no right way to recover. These are things other drivers and trauma specialists say help.
Go back when you're ready
There's no set timeline. Talk with your manager about leave and when you'll return. Some drivers go back within days, others take longer.
Ask for a graded return
A ride-along with another driver, a different route or daylight shifts first can make the first trips easier.
Plan for passing the location
Tensing up or replaying it as you pass is common. Know where it is, breathe out slowly as you go by, and check in with yourself after the shift.
Near hits count too
You can have the same reactions when no one was hurt. You're entitled to the same support.
Watch for delayed reactions
Reactions can show up weeks later, after another incident, or around the anniversary. Check in when they do.
If it isn't easing after four weeks
Talk to your GP or EAP about trauma-focused therapy. It works well, and it's easier to start early.
For family and friends
Listen without pushing for details. Keep normal routines going. Ask what helps, and don't take it personally if they need space.
Draws on the TrackSAFE Foundation Rail Industry Trauma Management Framework (2023) and Phoenix Australia guidance on recovery after trauma. Follow your own operator's critical incident procedure too.
People to call
Save the numbers you'd want after an incident. They stay on this phone and show up on the Help now screen.
24/7 support lines
You don't have to go through your manager
Sometimes the person you'd normally tell is part of the problem, or it just doesn't feel safe. Here are other ways to get support. You choose what to do, and when.
From your operator
Your rail operator can add its own EAP, peer support, chaplaincy and wellbeing numbers here.
Someone outside your reporting line
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Free, confidential counselling. Your manager isn't told that you called.
- Peer supporters. Many operators have trained drivers who have been through incidents themselves.
- Your union. For example the Rail, Tram and Bus Union. They give confidential advice, and a delegate can come to meetings with you.
- Your work health and safety representative. For safety issues, including fatigue, aggression and bullying.
- Your GP. Outside work altogether, and can refer you on.
Text or chat instead of calling
For when talking out loud isn't possible, or feels like too much.
For particular situations
If you've seen serious wrongdoing, NSW public interest disclosure laws protect people who report it. The NSW Ombudsman can explain how.
Spiritual and religious support
Some workplaces have a chaplain or pastoral carer. They support people of any faith or none. Their role is to listen, not to persuade.
You can also ask for someone from your own faith or cultural community. Some people find strength in prayer, ritual or their faith community after an incident. Others find it in nature, music or quiet. Whatever gives you meaning counts.
Words to start with
The first sentence is often the hardest. You could say:
"I'm not ready to make a complaint. I just need to talk this through."
"Can this stay between us? Is there anything you'd have to pass on?"
"Since the incident I'm not coping, and I don't feel I can raise it with my manager."
"I want to talk to someone who isn't in my chain of command."
What happens if I tell someone?
- Counsellors, peer supporters and helplines keep what you say private. The main exception is if someone is at serious risk of harm. If you're unsure, ask at the start.
- Your union can give you confidential advice before you decide anything.
- A formal report or complaint starts a process. People involved may be told, and you may be asked for your account. You can ask for support through it.
- Your private record in this app stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
Not ready to tell anyone?
That's OK. You can write down what happened, just for yourself, and decide later.
Numbers and services are for New South Wales and Australia-wide. Check with your organisation for its own services.
Write down what happened
Write it in your own words, when you're ready. It stays on this phone. It isn't a report, and nothing is sent anywhere. It can help later with an investigation, a workers compensation claim, or if something at work isn't right.
My entries
Entries can't be edited, so each one shows when it was written. To add something, write a new entry.
No entries yet.
If you decide to share it, you can download it or send it to yourself.
Your phone, your data
PIN lock
Ask for a PIN when the app opens, and after it has been in the background for a minute.
PIN is on.
The PIN stops someone else opening the app on your phone. It doesn't encrypt what's stored, so keep your phone locked too. If you forget it, you can delete everything and start again.
Hide the screen
Tap the eye button at the top of any screen to cover the app straight away, for example in the crib room or on the train home. Tap to come back, or enter your PIN if you've set one.
Download my data
Download everything you've entered (check-ins, incident date, private record and contacts) as a text file. You could keep a copy, or show it to your GP or counsellor.
Delete everything
Deletes your check-ins, incident date, private record, contacts and PIN from this phone.
Delete everything from this phone? This can't be undone.
About Unladen Rail
Unladen Rail is a prototype made by Co-Synthesist Pty Ltd, Newcastle NSW. It isn't a medical or emergency service, and it isn't connected to any rail operator. The questions haven't been clinically validated yet.
What's stored: your check-ins, incident date, private record, saved contacts and settings, only in this phone's browser. Nothing is sent to anyone. There are no accounts, analytics or trackers.
Keep in mind: if you clear your browser data or remove the app, what you've entered goes too. Download a copy first if you want to keep it.
Version 0.3 prototype · September 2026