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Friday 19 Aug 2016

Young people warned of the dangers of playing on the railway following near miss at a Cheshire level crossing

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Young people are being reminded of the dangers of playing on the railway after two teenagers stood in the middle of a Cheshire level crossing as a train approached, forcing the driver to come to an emergency stop.

On Friday, 12 August two teenagers stood in the middle of Shrewbridge Road level crossing as the Crewe to Cardiff train approached just before 6pm. The train driver sounded the horn and applied the emergency brakes however the teenagers failed to move and the train came to an emergency stop at the crossing before the teenagers eventually walked away.

It followed an incident at the same crossing on Wednesday, 10 August when a number of young people ran across Shrewbridge Road as the 2.35pm Swansea to Crewe train approached the level crossing at 7.15pm.

Tracey Young, community safety manager for Network Rail Wales said: “I cannot stress enough the danger young people are placing themselves and others in by not using the crossing correctly. By not obeying the signals and signs at a level crossing they are risking their lives and the safety of others.

“These recent incidents at Shrewbridge Road level crossing highlight how often these incidents occur. We’re urging parents to make sure children understand the dangers of trespassing on the railway and misusing level crossings.”

Network Rail and British Transport Police recently launched a safety awareness campaign alerting young people and their parents of the dangers of playing on the tracks this summer. In hard-hitting video footage (see attached), the dangers of trespassing on the railway are clearly shown.

New figures released by Network Rail show that children are twice as likely to trespass on the tracks over the summer months compared with winter, with over 170 young people losing their lives as a result of trespass over the past 10 years.

Network Rail is investing £100m into its programme to make level crossing safer as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers and businesses.

To find out how to keep your children safe on the railway this summer visit http://www.networkrail.co.uk/safety-education/information-for-parents/

Ends

Notes to editors:

Network Rail is investing £100m into its programme to improve level crossing safety as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan. Since 2010 it has:

• Employed more than 100 dedicated level crossing managers
• Closed over 990 level crossings
• Replaced footpath crossings with footbridges
• Installed warning lights as an additional safety measure at footpath crossings
• Launched a new schools programme – Rail Life – teaching both primary and secondary school children about how to stay safe when crossing the railway
• Rolled out safety camera enforcement vans in partnership with BTP
• Invested in new technology such as the obstacle detection radar
• Introduced power operated gate openers
• Installed spoken warnings to announce if another train is coming after one train has passed through
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