Media centre

Friday 13 Dec 2013

New campaign to bring station escalator falls down

Region & Route:

National

A new CCTV and poster campaign launched today to coincide with the busy festive period aims to reduce the hundreds of incidents each year involving people slipping or falling on railway station escalators.

The latest annual figures* show more than 400 people took a tumble on an escalator at the 17 biggest and busiest stations managed by Network Rail, including Birmingham New Street, London Paddington, Leeds and Edinburgh Waverley.

The number of people hurt on escalators is down by more than 20% compared with the previous year (512) - however the same causes of incidents remain. Trying to carry heavy luggage, high heels and alcohol all contribute to the total according to Network Rail.

Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s managing director of network operations, said: "Stations are increasingly busy places but the majority of slips and falls we see could still be avoided. We often see people struggling with several pieces of luggage on escalators when the lift would be easier for them. It might sound obvious, but simply holding the handrail can be the difference between an uneventful escalator ride and a bump and bruise – or worse. We hope that the new campaign will act as a friendly reminder to take a little extra care when you're travelling during this busy festive period."

Ian Prosser, Director of Railway Safety at the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) said:“We welcome Network Rail’s latest campaign to raise awareness of safety risks from slips, trips and falls on escalators within railway stations. This is a timely reminder that a seasonal mix of alcohol, presents, luggage and in some cases high heels can leave rail users more prone to injuries over the festive period.”

The poster, which will be placed in all 17 Network Rail managed stations across Britain, features a 'balloon man' about to step onto an escalator filled with drawing pins. The creative analogy aims to draw attention to the fact that a moving staircase can be dangerous and that you need to take extra care. This, along with a YouTube montage of CCTV footage of recent incidents, highlighting the often painful consequences of taking a tumble at a station, will run for four weeks.