Media centre

Tuesday 11 Dec 2012

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

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

A total of 243 people have been involved in slips, trips and falls on stations along the Western route, according to the latest figures published by Network Rail.

The figures for 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 reveal that 98 people were involved in accidents on stairs, 81 tripped, slipped or fell on the platform, 32 on the escalators, 26 on the station concourse, two involved benches, chairs or wheelchairs and four people on ramps.

Paddington station saw the most incidents on the Western route with 53 accidents, followed by Reading with 45, Bristol Temple Meads with 14, Ealing Broadway with 13, Bristol Parkway with 11, Plymouth with eight, Bath Spa with seven and Exeter St Davids with six.

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.

Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail’s managing director for the Western 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.”

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, 17 of them on the Western 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.

Dan Panes, of First Great Western, said: "We know our passengers are keen to enjoy themselves during the festive season; however we want to urge them to stay alert and aware of any potential hazards to keep themselves safe. Those with shopping bags or heavy luggage rushing to catch a train should please take care as some surfaces may be slippery, and use lifts wherever possible.

"Our station teams will do everything they can to help keep areas dry, however we would like to urge passengers to take extra care to avoid hurting themselves."