Media centre

Thursday 29 Sep 2016

“No Excuses”: Network Rail appeals to students to stay safe on the railway

Region & Route:

| Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Network Rail has appealed to students at Brockenhurst College to stay safe when near or using the railway, during a special safety day held at the college today (Thursday, 29 September).

The ‘No Excuses’ session came as Network Rail revealed startling figures for the amount of railway misuse taking place in the region, with 1 in 10 Southampton residents admitting to using their phone while using a level crossing, and more than a sixth of Bournemouth residents admitting to doing the same.

Lindsay Melbourne, community safety manager at Network Rail said, “The event is designed to get everyone thinking about small changes they can make to be safer on the railway. This can include anything from taking out their headphones, not texting or using their phone while using a level crossing and not trespassing on the railways. Often we can take our own safety for granted and think we are aware of the risk around us, but while on our phones or when distracted that simply isn’t the case.

“In 2014/15 there were 43 accidental deaths, nearly 300 major injuries and many more minor injuries that could have been avoided on the railways in Britain. I want to draw attention to the risks at level crossing and the dangers when trespassing on the railway, in the hope that we can all help to reduce the number of passenger and public injuries and deaths.

“We are investing more than £100m to improve level crossing safety across Britain but we also need everyone who uses level crossings to do their bit too. By avoiding distractions, paying attention to the warnings at level crossings and staying alert we can all keep ourselves out of harm’s way.”

ENDS