Media centre

Wednesday 28 Dec 2016

Network Rail and South West Trains ask passengers to stay safe near the railway this winter

Region & Route:

| Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Network Rail and South West Trains have teamed up with St John Ambulance to ask passengers to stay safe near the railway, at an awareness day held at London Waterloo on Thursday, 22 December.

In 2014/15 there were 43 preventable deaths, 296 major injuries and many more minor injuries that could have been avoided on the railways in Britain. In addition, alcohol-related incidents increase by approximately 25% during December as more people go to Christmas parties and use the trains to travel home.

The event was designed to draw attention to the various risks, such as trespassing on the railway and texting on mobile phones while using level crossings, through its new interactive display stand.

Becky Lumlock, route managing director at Network Rail, said: “The safety of everyone who uses or works on the railway, whether they are a passenger, a pedestrian at a level crossing, or one of our workforce, is the number one priority for us.

“Often we can all take our own safety for granted, so we’re trying to alert people to the little things that they may not even have considered, such as wearing headphones or texting on your phone while using a level crossing which can be a distraction.”

Aaron Marshall, neighbourhood security manager for South West Trains, said: “We designed an interactive stand that features replica level crossings so that school children could participate and spot any risks before discussing these with our Rail Community Officers.

“The reaction was very positive and it was great to speak to so many people passing through Waterloo and hopefully the message of staying safe by the railways over Christmas will have made real impact.”

ENDS