Life-saving campaign's new partnership to stop young people risking their lives on the railway: Third Rail-3

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Life-saving campaign's new partnership to stop young people risking their lives on the railway

Region & Route:
Southern

Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) have today launched a new partnership with the English Football League Trust (EFL Trust) and StreetGames to tackle the rising number of people risking their lives on the railway.


New figures reveal more than 250 incidents a week of people messing about on the railway, taking short-cuts and even selfies – sometimes with tragic consequences for their friends and family. Young people make up a third of all cases and the partnership will warn and educate risk takers in Kent, Sussex and south London, with the help of our partners at Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern, along with Charlton Athletic F.C. and Millwall F.C. 

A new hard-hitting film (attached as an MP4 below) aims to educate people about the hidden dangers, especially the third rail, which carries 750-Volts to power trains – easily enough to kill you. The only way to avoid this hidden danger is to avoid stepping foot on the track in the first place.

During 2018/19, 521 young people (aged 11-18) were involved in trespass incidents in Kent, Sussex and south London, which make up Network Rail's South East Route. When you include adults, that figures rises to 2,562, further highlighting the dangers of stepping on the railway.

Top 10 list of young people trespassing by local authority area - 2018/19

Bexley 26
Bromley 18
Greenwich 19
Swale 22
Mid Sussex 15
Tandridge 15
Thanet 15
Brighton and Hove 14
Medway 12
Southwark 14

Top 10 list of all trespassers by local authority area - 2018/19

Bromley 99
Lewisham 95
Croydon 86
Swale 83
Bexley 79
Greenwich 73
Lambeth 64
Southwark 71
Medway 48
Brighton and Hove 47

 

Hard-hitting film highlighting dangers of the third rail


Allan Spence, head of public and passenger safety at Network Rail, said:
“Children, and adults alike, continue to risk their lives by going onto the track and it has to stop. Every day across the country we see over three dozen incidents and each one could be a potential catastrophe leading to life-changing injuries or even death.

“Sport is a powerful vehicle for communicating with this hard-to-reach audience, so by working in partnership with these sports charities we hope to be able to reach children and teens in those communities most at risk with this incredibly important safety message.”

The 'You vs. Train' campaign, launched last year by the rail industry and British Transport Police, saw incidents involving children reduce by 12%, but young people are still risking their lives.

Responding to the continued problem, the industry’s railway trespass group has this year launched a new phase of the  campaign, forming partnerships with the English Football League Trust and StreetGames, to drive the rail safety message directly to this hard-to-reach group.

At the heart of the issue is a lack of understanding and awareness of the risks. Research undertaken amongst teenagers revealed that one in 10 admitted to walking along the railway line, while 31% didn't even think electrocution or severe burns could even happen.

BTP Assistant Chief Constable Robin Smith added: “The lack of knowledge about the potential dangers seems to be why children choose the tracks as a place to take risks, so our main focus is on providing much-needed education. By working closely with The EFL Trust and StreetGames, it will give us the best possible chance of ensuring that the message resonates where it is most needed.”

The EFL Trust is the official charity of the English Football League and StreetGames is a charity that runs a network of local projects.

Mike Evans, Director of Operations at The EFL Trust, remarked: “Bringing about positive change in the community is at the very core of The EFL Trust’s values. Football can be an enormous force for good and have a profoundly positive impact on communities – so we are looking forward to helping tackle this issue in those areas where children and young people are particularly vulnerable.”

Stuart Felce, StreetGames Head of Community Safety, said: “We were alarmed to hear how many young children unintentionally risk their lives on the railway every year. Our projects involve working closely with disadvantaged children and young people every day and so we are perfectly placed to help deliver this safety message in a way that we hope will resonate.”

As well as reaching children and teens via The EFL Trust and StreetGames, community engagement managers from across Network Rail, BTP and train operators will be out teaching thousands of children about railway safety.

To watch the new video and find out how to keep your children safe on the railway visit: www.YouVsTrain.co.uk.

Notes to Editors

Network Rail, British Transport Police, EFL Trust and StreetGames have identified 48 high-risk trespass locations across Britain, which will be targeted over the coming months. These include:

South London, Croydon, Sittingbourne, Gillingham, Enfield, Ipswich, Norwich, Pitsea, Chelmsford, Reading, Bedminster, Sheffield, Leeds, Derby, Dewsbury, Frizinghall, Rotherham, Nottingham, Doncaster, Birmingham, Stalybridge, Pendleton, Greater Manchester, Rochdale, Coventry, Milton Keynes, Bridgend, Darlington, County Durham, Dalmuir and Shettleston.

The third rail

The third rail is probably the hardest danger to see. It looks just like an ordinary rail, but it carries 750 volts – easily enough to kill you.

It’s designed to send power to the train, but you are 70 per cent water and the perfect conductor for this electricity. If you touch the rail, you will “stick” to it. The DC current that flows through it will pull you in and not let go until the emergency services are able to switch the power off.

Nearly half of the UK rail network is now electrified – and more than 30 per cent uses a third rail to power the train. The only way to avoid stepping on this hidden danger is not to step on the track.

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.

Every day, there are more than 4.8 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.

Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail

Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

About British Transport Police

We are the national police force for the railways. Our aim is to keep you safe and make you feel secure while you travel.

We police Britain’s railways, providing a service to rail operators, their staff and passengers across the country. We also police the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro tram system, Croydon Tramlink, Sunderland Metro, Glasgow Subway and Emirates AirLine.

Six million people use the rail network every day and we're here to keep you safe and help you feel secure on your journey.

About StreetGames

StreetGames (www.streetgames.org) is an award-winning national sports charity launched in 2007. A delivery partner of Sport Wales and the Welsh Government, and Sport England, and a national centre of expertise for developing sport in disadvantaged communities. StreetGames helps make people and communities healthier, safer and more successful by making sport accessible to all young people, regardless of their income or social circumstances. It does this by supporting and establishing locally trusted organisations around the UK that deliver doorstep sport. Doorstep sport sessions include positive activities and sport provided to young people when they want it, where they want it and how they want it. Over 2.4 million attendances have already been generated by StreetGames’ programmes. StreetGames has now grown to support over 1,000 locally trusted organisations across the UK. 530,000 children and young people living in the UK’s poorest communities are enjoying a more active lifestyle and the opportunity to volunteer within their local community because of StreetGames.

About the EFL Trust

EFL Trust is a national charity that uses the power of football to change people’s lives.

EFL Trust unites the inspirational work delivered across England and Wales by the dedicated network of Football Club Community Organisations associated to the 72 EFL Clubs.

Last year, the network engaged over 1 million people, using the power of football to improve individual’s health, inspire education, reduce crime, increase participation in activity and tackle many difficult social issues like drug abuse, counter extremism and homelessness.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Leonard Bennett
Leonard.Bennett@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.

Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk