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A Warning Not to Trespass on Railway Lines

30 July 2016

By Joseph

The British Transport Police has released a startling new video warning people not to trespass on railway lines (or even railway property) this summer, and indeed at all times. The eye-opening video depicts staggered delinquents taking shortcuts across tracks and – in the final harrowing scene – being dragged under a 500+ ton train.

The British Transport Police state that almost 170 people have been killed trespassing on British railways in the last 10 years, and approximately half of those were under 25. Trespassing as a whole costs the railway industry millions of pounds, whether it be through maintaining boundary fences or delayed trains. Furthermore, crimes committed on the railway lines (route crime) come at a cost of around £150 million per year, forcing ticket prices up too.

Whilst every death on the railway is a tragedy, every single one is avoidable – even one person killed is too many. On every occasion, trespassing is an utterly mindless and ignorant act, seen as a cheap thrill for many – “oh yeah, let’s play chicken with the trains”. They could very well be someone’s last words. People trespass in blissful ignorance of the dangers present. Every time someone steps foot on the tracks they are dicing with death, and hidden dangers are often the killers – the track could be electrified or trains could suddenly dart out of the darkness unbeknown to you.

Moreover, these people often fail to consider the untold misery such acts could bring to other people, their families, their friends, or even the police officers attending the scene – for the rest of their lives they will all have to suffer as a result of what is often purely a moment of madness. Network Rail have produced a number of short films – each with a profound backstory – to help raise awareness of the dangers and the implications of trespassing and accidents on the railway.

Please, don’t ever be tempted to stray onto railway lines. It might save you a few seconds on your way home or it might give you an adrenaline boost – but that’s never worth more than your life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoGfw2taFNg

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