Friday 23 May 2008
STAY OFF THE TRACKS AND STAY ALIVE WARNS NETWORK RAIL
- Region & Route:
- | Southern
‘Enfield kids risking their lives through rail trespass, vandalism and daring games’
Young people in Enfield are putting their lives at risk by trespassing and mucking about on the railways, according to rail crime data released by Network Rail today.
The warning comes ahead of the half term school holidays, when traditionally rises in rail crime incidents occur.
Data collected in 2007 identified a two mile area around Enfield Lock, Turkey Street and Ponders End stations, as a rail crime hotspot on the busy West Anglia route.
Records show that there have been over 50 recorded incidents of trespass and vandalism, which has included stone throwing, playing chicken and placing objects on the line such as a fire extinguisher and a metal bar. Network Rail estimates that many more incidents go unreported and that the true figure is in fact several hundred just in this small area alone.
Every year dozens of people are killed or seriously injured on the railway by taking short cuts or even using the track as a guide home. In the last five years, one in four (25 per cent) of accidental fatalities has involved a person aged between eight and 18 years, with half (50 per cent) of all near misses involving young children.
The records from Enfield further support the motivation behind the company’s nationally recognised rail safety campaign, No Messin’. This campaign works to educate young people about the real dangers of playing on the railways using a style, language and approach that appeals directly to them.
With school holidays imminent Network Rail is hoping that the release of the rail crime data will help act as a timely reminder for young people, making them think twice about what they are doing.
Martin Gallagher, Network Rail’s National Rail Crime Education Manager, comments: “During the summer and school holidays we always see an increase in rail crime, with the light evenings and kids looking for something to fill their free time.
“The railway is a dangerous place. A lot of kids think that mucking about with their mates on the tracks, playing games like chicken, throwing stuff at passing trains and tagging buildings is all good fun. Not so, when you consider the high chances of being badly injured or even killed.
“Trains travel up to 125mph and can take up to the length of 20 football fields to stop. Plus the overhead power cables carry 25,000 volts of electricity, which you don’t even need to touch for it to kill you.
“During these school holidays we are encouraging all kids to take on the No Messin’ message, to stay away from the tracks and to think twice about what they are doing.”
Currently, Network Rail’s Rail Crime Education team is working closely with the Enfield Lock and Ponders End ‘Safer Neighbourhood’ groups. Both groups are part of the Metropolitan Police.
Network Rail has a team of dedicated Railway Crime Education Managers who work with other parts of the railway industry, offering railway safety information and visiting schools, young offending teams, youth clubs and local authorities in the UK.
To learn more about Network Rail’s No Messin’ campaign visit www.no-messin.com.
Notes to editors
Railway crime facts Railway crime costs the rail industry £264 million annually. Every 90 seconds a railway crime is committed during peak periods. Every year there is an estimated 27 million cases of trespass; 640,000 objects placed on the line and four million objects thrown at trains. In the past five years, one in four accidental deaths has been of a person aged between eight and 18 years. Half of all ‘near misses’ involve children. The majority of trespass incidents involving adults. Railway crime examples Trespassing by running across the tracks or taking short cuts. Throwing objects. Placing debris on the line. Interfering with level crossing barriers and equipment. Breaking telephones. Graffiti, which is the fastest growing type of offence. Dangers - Did You Know…? Trains travel at up to 125mph and can take the length of 20 football pitches to stop! If you get hit by a train, there will only be one winner. It takes up to 25,000 volts of electricity to power trains through the overhead lines. It’s always switched on and can even jump through the air to get to you. If you get too close it can kill – you don’t even have to touch anything to get killed! In some places on the network, trains are powered by the ‘third rail’. It carries 750 volts of electricity and is never switched off. Touching the rail will almost certainly result in death or serious injury.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 - South East route
020 3357 7969
southeastroutecomms@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