FATALITY SERVES AS STARK WARNING AGAINST RAILWAY TRESPASS

Wednesday 8 Jul 2009

FATALITY SERVES AS STARK WARNING AGAINST RAILWAY TRESPASS

Region & Route:: | Southern

One man was killed and another seriously injured after receiving an electric shock whilst trespassing on the railway in Tilbury, Essex in the early hours of this morning.

The incident occurred at approximately 1.15am when ambulance, police and rail staff received reports of two men on the railway at Fort Road, Tilbury. They were found alongside rolls of cable which had been cut from the return conductor wire – live electrical cable which carries 25,000 volts.

Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail Anglia route director, said: “This incident shows in the clearest possible terms the dangers of trespassing on the railway. Unfortunately this person has paid the ultimate price.

“Cable theft is a major issue on the railway, costing millions of pounds a year and causing unnecessary delay and disruption to passengers. The circumstances of this tragic incident are not yet clear, however I would warn anyone tempted to trespass on the railway to think again.”

Julian Drury, Managing Director of c2c Rail said: “Trespass on the line is extremely hazardous and endangers lives. We are determined to prevent this kind of unnecessary risk, and this summer c2c, Network Rail and British Transport Police are launching a further major campaign involving extra staff, police officers, patrols and a special helicopter with the aim to keep the railway safe.”

The fatality comes a day after Network Rail launched a new poster campaign warning against the dangers of trespassing on the tracks. The hard-hitting posters, which feature railway sleepers shaped as coffins, ask ‘What price your life?’ and have been put up at all Network Rail’s managed stations.

Trespass and vandalism is the single biggest cause of delays on the Thameside route from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness. On 5 August Network Rail is holding an event at Festival Park, Basildon, as part of it's No Messin'! campaign. The campaign, which has been running since 2005, teaches young people about the dangers of trespassing on the railway and gives them the chance to learn new skills and take part in activities such as DJing, freestyle football and computer animation.

Notes to editors

Trains are powered by 25,000 volts of electricity in over head lines, and they are never switched off. As soon as a cable is cut, trains are brought to a halt. This protects the safety of passengers and rail staff but results in delays and disruptions, sometimes for several hours. All costs from cable theft must be paid for by the rail industry - preventing that money from being invested on improving services for customers. In 2008/09 Network Rail recorded 747 incidents of cable theft which caused around 380,000 delay minutes and cost £7.8m in compensation costs alone. Network Rail, British Transport Police and the train operators are employing a number of initiatives as they seek to tackle the thieves. These include: • Introducing new cable which is harder to cut and easier to trace if stolen • A partnership between Network Rail and the charity, Crimestoppers, offering up to £1,000 for information leading to the conviction of cable thieves • In house and external security experts patrolling known hot-spots and project sites which are known to be attractive targets for thieves • BTP targeted policing including intelligence-led operations, proactive patrols using dogs and off-road motorbikes and scrap yard visits • Increased security at depots • "Target hardening" of cable routes • Use of the Network Rail helicopter to help deter and catch thieves

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