Shocking video shows life threatening prank at Blakedown level crossing: Blakedown level crossing missuse 3

Wednesday 16 Aug 2017

Shocking video shows life threatening prank at Blakedown level crossing

Region & Route:
| North West & Central

A shocking video showing a youngster running across a Worcestershire level crossing and throwing himself under the safety barriers has been released by Network Rail.

 

The irresponsible youth is seen darting across Blakedown level crossing after the warning lights and sounds begin and the safety barriers are lowering. He then dives under the far side barrier at the last minute.

The crossing on Station Drive is regularly misused. Earlier in the year Network Rail gave out information in the area on how to use the crossing correctly after repeated incidents of misuse. Examples included vehicles weaving around and hitting the barriers and pedestrians jumping the barriers after they were lowered.

Ben Parish, route level crossing manager for Network Rail, said: “This selfish individual has little respect for his own safety or the safety of others by doing this irresponsible act. Level crossing barriers and warning lights are there to help road users, pedestrians and railway users stay safe. Misusing crossings in this way could result in serious injury or worse.

“I can’t emphasise strongly enough the importance of safe and sensible level crossing use. If anyone has any concerns about a level crossing I would urge them to contact us immediately.”

Figures from Network Rail reveal that young people are more likely to have a near miss at a level crossing during the summer - light nights, coupled with the summer holidays, spell extra danger with August and early September seeing near misses at level crossings rise. (1)

While Britain still has the safest rail network in Europe, level crossings are one of the biggest public safety risks on the railway. In the last five years there have been more than 2,000 incidents on level crossings involving young people.

To report incidents like this or any other railway-related crime contact Network 24 hours-a-day on 03457 11 41 41. For more information on level crossings visit www.networkrail.co.uk/level-crossings

Notes to Editors

  1. Network Rail level crossing data July 2017 – Dec/Jan events at 15 per month on average, rising to 47 in August and over 50 in September

---------------------------------------------------

  • Most crossings have a sign and lights or bells that alert you if a train is coming. Many will also have gates that close when a train is coming. If this happens wait until the train has passed
  • When crossing tracks at a railway crossing, you should:
  • Stop and look both ways before crossing, listen for the train coming and for warning bells, if there are lights watch for them to flash
  • Stand well back from the tracks if a train is going by
  • Never try to cross the tracks if a train is coming. It can take up to one and a half miles for a train to come to a complete stop
  • Always make sure there are no other trains coming before crossing.

Contact information

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

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
07740 782954
NWCmediarelations@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