Media centre

Tuesday 11 Dec 2012

Trolley trips and post-party tumbles can ruin a journey home - rail industry urges Welsh people to take care when travelling this Christmas

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

A total of 40 people have been involved in slips, trips and falls on stations along the Wales route, according to the latest figures published by Network Rail.

The figures for 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 reveal that 16 people were involved in accidents on stairs, 19 tripped, slipped or fell on the platform, four on the station concourse and one person on ramps.

Cardiff Central station saw the most incidents in Wales with six accidents, followed by Newport with five, Bangor with four, Prestatyn and Shrewsbury with three each and Porth with two.

Nationally, more than 3,000 people have been involved in slips, trips or falls in Britain’s stations with incidents involving luggage rising by 70% since 2004/5, according to latest figures published by Network Rail.

A new digital and poster campaign, with CCTV footage, highlights how running for a train with bags of shopping or attempting to carry heavy luggage on an escalator can end up with bruised pride as well as the body, and urges people to take care when travelling by rail over the festive period.

Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing director for the Wales Route, said: “A combination of more people carrying Christmas shopping, trailing wheelie suitcases, wet and windy weather and people travelling late after festive parties, make December a time where we see more people take a tumble. Our station teams are doing all they can to help passengers get home safe including welcoming back our travel champions in London who received such praise for their professionalism and help during the Olympic Games.

He added: “We don’t want to see anyone hurt at our stations so we’ll be doing what we can to keep concourses dry and clean and signposting lifts clearly for those with heavy luggage. Please plan ahead so you don’t end up rushing to catch your train - falling over could be a miserable end to an enjoyable evening.”

Mike Tapscott, operations and safety director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We know our passengers are keen to enjoy themselves during the festive season; however we want to urge them to stay safe and be aware of any potential hazards such as slippery underfoot conditions. Extra care should be taken for those with luggage and shopping bags and it’s important to plan ahead to avoid having to rush to catch a train.”

Nationally, most incidents involved people slipping on the concourse (1,488), falling down stairs (1,120) or on the platform (899) with more than 500 falls on escalators and over 400 people who fell when running.

Incidents involving luggage have risen by 70% since 2004/5 with 614 recorded injuries, accounting for a fifth of the total. More than 400 incidents involved a person who was intoxicated, two of them on the Wales route.

Nationally, December 2011 saw 322 incidents, accounting for around 10% of the total. Fridays were the most common day for a slip, trip or fall to occur with more than a third (1,158) occurring between 5pm and 2.30am.