Media centre

Monday 8 Oct 2012

TV ADVERT URGES PEOPLE TO "SEE TRACK, THINK TRAIN" (north east)

Region & Route:

Network Rail hopes a new TV advert will make people more aware that they should treat approaching rail footpath crossings, as they would a busy road, even in quiet rural areas.

The advert depicts a family taking a slow and easy ramble through the countryside, playing a game of “I spy” which distracts them as they approach the footpath crossing. The daughter is standing on the crossing as she realises the answer to the game is “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with t, is track” but it is too late and she is struck by the train. Network Rail hopes the powerful message “See track, think train” will raise awareness that despite the quiet, rural setting, that paying attention to warning signs can save your life.

Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail said: "Although fatalities on level crossings are at a low, the issue is still a problem. More pedestrians are killed than motorists at crossings so we are aiming this campaign at them.

“We at Network Rail are doing all we can to make crossings safer by upgrading and even closing level crossings. People must take care and look out when crossing. We hope this hard-hitting advertising campaign will follow on from the good work we are already doing.”

This campaign, with a renewed focus on pedestrian safety, follows Network Rail’s online video with rap artist Professor Green, asking people to remove their headphones at level crossings so they aren’t’ distracted from safety warnings.

Network Rail has a £130m investment programme to improve level crossing safety. This includes:

- A closure programme which will see 750 crossings removed from the network by April 2014. More than 600 have already been closed.

- Replacing footpath crossings with footbridges

- Installing warning lights as an additional safety measure at footpath crossings

- A new schools programme – Rail Life – teaching both primary and secondary school children about how to stay safe when crossing the railway

- Rolling out 10 more camera enforcement vans

- Investing in new technology including obstacle detection lasers

- Introducing new cost effective barriers to open crossings

- Employing more than 100 new dedicated level crossing managers

- Community safety managers who work closely with local groups, councils and schools to raise awareness