Media centre

Monday 27 Mar 2006

EASTER WARNING TO YOUNG PEOPLE

Region & Route:

With the Easter holidays fast approaching, Network Rail is warning young people to stay away from the railway and stay safe. Peter Strachan, Route Director, said: “Trespassing on the railway is extremely dangerous and often results in serious injury, electrocution and death.  We urge young people to understand the risks and keep away from the tracks.” Trains travel at speeds of up to 125mph and can take up to two miles to come to a complete stop once the emergency brakes have been applied. They are also very quiet and trespassers may not realise that a train is approaching. As well as the danger of being hit by a train, slippery rails and sleepers can cause injury to trespassers and they risk being trapped and crushed in moving points. Railway crime is an on-going problem for the rail industry and costs Network Rail more than £250 million every year. During peak periods, like school holidays, an act of railway crime is committed every 90 seconds. Young trespassers also sometimes place objects on the line or throw objects at trains, unaware of the danger they are putting the driver and passengers in. Some of these objects are put there by children ‘just to see what happens’ but research has shown there is often a progression to larger objects, which have the potential to cause a major derailment. An estimated four million objects are thrown at trains ranging from very small stones to large rocks, bricks, concrete blocks and lumps of metal. Young people are do not realise a small stone can have a major affect on a train. If an object hits a window it could easily shatter and injure the person behind it, even blinding them if glass gets into their eyes. By offering young people an alternative to playing on the railway, Network Rail’s No Messin’! campaign aims to reduce railway crime. Network Rail works in close partnership with sporting clubs and other organisations in ‘hot-spot’ areas to provide activities during the holidays when railway crime is most likely to be committed. More information about activities can be found on www.no-messin.co.uk. Anyone who witnesses a railway crime, should report it to the British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.