Media centre

Thursday 30 Mar 2006

RAIL SAFETY WARNING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Region & Route:

With the Easter holidays approaching, Network Rail and the British Transport Police today issued a vital safety warning to young people - enjoy the holidays but stay safe and stay away from the railway lines.  For those who choose to ignore the warnings and trespass or commit other crimes on the railway the consequences could be fatal. Every year young people are needlessly injured and killed because they choose to mess about on the railway tracks.  With trains travelling at speeds of up to 125mph and other dangers, like overhead electric wires and moving parts of the track called points, the railway line is not a playground. Dyan Crowther, Route Director, Network Rail said: “Every day we receive reports of children using the railway as an adventure playground.  Without exception, on every occasion, children are putting themselves at risk of being hit by a train or electrocuted.  The consequences are immediate and often fatal, for the chances of a train stopping in time or surviving a 25,000 volts shock are virtually nil.” Chief Inspector Nicholson from the BTP said “The railway environment is an extremely dangerous place at the best of times and I appeal to all parents to be mindful of these dangers and ensure that their children do not play on or near the railway as it can end in tragedy.  By working together we can make the railway environment a safer place for everyone”. British Transport Police and Network Rail will be stepping up lineside patrols during the Easter holidays, which traditionally mark a peak in route crime activity.