Friday 8 Feb 2008
CRACKDOWN ON TRACK TRESPASS AT ABERGAVENNY STATION
- Region & Route:
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Wales & Western: Wales & Borders
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Wales & Western
Trespassers at Abergavenny station faced a crackdown this week with a series of high visibility policing operations as part of a joint effort between Network Rail and the British Transport Police in South Wales.
Members of public who are found trespassing onto rail tracks by the Police could face a fine.
A recent Network Rail surveillance project has shown that over 40 incidents of trespass happen at this location each week. This is considerably higher than any of the surrounding areas.
Mark Langman, Area General Manager, Network Rail, says “The public are putting themselves in an extremely vulnerable position by trespassing off the platform or footpath crossing and walking beside the track for the sake of saving two minutes. Trains in this area can travel at 90mph. The consequences of an accident do not bear thinking about. Through this series of action days, we hope to raise further awareness on the risks involved and eventually deter public from trespassing.”
BTP Sergeant Dave Carter from the Neighbourhood Policing Team based at Newport, said: “Trespassing may not sound like a serious offence but, in the unforgiving environment of the railway, it can be a major safety hazard. Trespassers put themselves, rail staff and passengers in danger.
If trespassers are seen on lines, it can mean that trains are stopped, electric current is switched off and police are diverted from other duties. Passengers are delayed and it costs the railway money. In the end, fare paying passengers are the losers.”
On Tuesday 5 February a middle-aged woman was fined £50 for trespassing, the following day officers gave a penalty notice of £50 each to two 17-year old males, a 20-year old man and an 18-year old woman who had trespassed onto the railway property.
Following this initiative, Network Rail continues to work with British Transport Police to organise regular patrols in the area and step-up efforts by working with local schools to educate pupils against rail crime.
To contact the Neighbourhood Policing Team about crime-related issues on the railways, please contact British Transport Police free on 0800 40 50 40 or email
neighbourhoodteams-wales@btp.pnn.police.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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