Friday 20 Sep 2024
Emergency services join Network Rail to test emergency response plans
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
- | North West & Central: North West
On Thursday 12 September, Network Rail collaborated with emergency services and industry partners in a live action exercise to test their readiness to respond in emergency situations.
The exercise, known as Operations Salthouse #2, simulated a train derailment, including multiple injuries – and complicated by a flask of nuclear material being transported in the opposite direction. Responding to the incident, colleagues from the police, British Transport Police, fire and ambulance services, Northern Trains, Direct Rail Services, supported by the Radsafe team and Network Rail’s own teams worked together to secure the scene and evacuate the train’s passengers, played by local extras and representatives from Casualties Union and Furness college. A Rail Incident Office from Network Rail co-ordinated the multiagency response, supported by a Tactical Incident Leader.
The exercise proceeded according to plan, allowing us to work closely with key agencies to ensure that we are joined up in the event of an incident. It also allowed emergency responders to carry out the first ever live trial of the 'ten second triage' protocol developed in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing.
Wendy Potter, Network Rail’s operations manager for Cumbria, said: ‘By holding detailed scenarios such as this, we help to make sure that our processes are robust, and that we are well prepared to keep our passengers and communities safe. I’d like to say a huge thanks our partners from Northern, Direct Rail Services and the emergency services for taking part in the exercise. Events like this are vital for testing the way we will work together in an emergency. We will review the exercise in detail and the lessons we learn will be implemented going forwards.
Contact Information:
Network Rail National Helpline: 03457 11 41 41
National Rail Enquiries: Visit the National Rail website for updated travel information.
Press Office (North West & Central): 0330 854 0100 / wwcmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.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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