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Monday 6 Jul 2009

SHOCK COFFIN POSTERS WARN - STAY OFF THE TRACKS OR RISK DEATH.

Region & Route:

A poster campaign using coffin-shaped railway sleepers with RIP messages describing how trespassers met their fate is to be launched at Birmingham New Street and Britain’s biggest railway stations today.

There were 11 reported incidents of trespass at Birmingham New Street in 2008/9. Last March and August saw incidents of people crossed over the track because they were on the wrong platform. Last month trains were delayed again after a man was seen walking along the track. All risked serious injury or death.

The campaign begins as Network Rail reveals how, astonishingly, people have jumped onto the tracks at busy main line stations such as Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime St and Waterloo to retrieve dropped mobile phones, hats, bags, and even spectacles. Others realising they are on the wrong platform decided to run across the tracks instead of crossing safely via the concourse or footbridge. In total there were 144 reported incidents of trespass at the 18 stations managed by Network Rail.

The posters which ask “what price your life?” aim to raise awareness of the very real dangers of trespassing on the railway and come ahead of Network Rail’s summer No Messin’ Live campaign fronted by boxing champion Amir Khan.

Last year there were around 9,000 reported incidents of trespass on Britain’s railway, although the true figure is thought to be much higher. Whilst the majority of incidents occur along the 20,000 miles of track between stations and at level crossings, platform to platform trespass at stations is a significant problem that train drivers, station staff and transport police have to deal with.

Tragically two people have lost their lives this year at Burgess Hill station in Sussex and Westgate on Sea in Kent after stepping on the third rail which powers the trains along those routes. Both occurred late at night.

Station staff and transport police work tremendously hard to help thousands of people get home safe after a night out but this is when trespass issues at stations tend to increase. Over a third of trespass incidents at the 18 Network Rail managed stations occurred after 9pm.

Martin Gallagher, head of community safety at Network Rail said: “We’ve had some success in bringing down the number of incidents across the network, but we cannot be complacent, and that is why we’re launching this poster campaign to highlight the very real dangers of trespassing on the railway.

“We’re also seeing a lot of incidents happen after 9pm, when maybe after a night out, people’s judgements aren’t at their best. You wouldn’t step out in front of a speeding car to retrieve a mobile phone or a bag you’d dropped, so why jump onto the tracks as a train approaches? I think these posters make it crystal clear that you are risking your life by trespassing on the railway and we hope to reduce the number of incidents further and ultimately save lives.”

British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Operations, David Wildbore said:

“It is always dangerous for a member of the public to step onto the tracks – trains operate 24 hours a day across the network and busy stations are subject to alterations in train movements at a moments notice.

“A missed train or lost mobile phone is a minor inconvenience when compared to the risk of death or the kind of serious, life changing injuries people suffer when the have been hit by a train.

“My advice is simple: Never step on to the tracks to take a shortcut and if you drop something onto the track, ask rail staff for assistance – they will always do their best to retrieve your item.

“Trespassing is an offence which we take extremely seriously because of the dangers involved. British Transport Police welcome any initiative which seeks to reduce incidents and where practical we will prosecute offenders.”