Station named ‘hotspot’ for trespassing on railway tracks
Pokesdown railway station
A TRAIN station in Bournemouth[1] has been named a ‘hotspot’ for incidents of trespassing on railway tracks.
New figures show there were 1,556 trespass incidents across Network Rail’s Wessex route in the last financial year (2022/23) – representing a two per cent increase on the previous year.
Pokesdown was listed as one of the top ten ‘trespassing hotspots’ across the Wessex Route, which serves Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.
The other ‘hotspot’ locations were Southampton Central, Woking, Guildford, Havant, Winchester, Salisbury, Feltham, Fareham and Millbrook.
These figures have been released by Network Rail as part of the You vs Train campaign to highlight the dangers of railway trespass this summer.
Across Network Rail’s Wessex route, trains are powered by the third rail which contains 750 volts – enough to kill or seriously injure – and is on 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Network Rail works closely with the British Transport Police (BTP) and schools to educate children and their parents and carers on the dangers of trespassing on the railway.
Across the rail network in England, Wales and Scotland, there were 18,517 incidents, 20 per cent of which involved young people under the age of 18.
Though last year saw a drop in the number of trespass incidents involving young people, overall trespass numbers remain too high – there is almost one for every mile of track in the country.
Helen Yorke, Network Rail’s Wessex route crime[2] manager, said: “We’re committed to ensuring the safety of our passengers, staff and the public when using the railway and trespass poses a clear and obvious danger with the possibility of resulting in life changing if not fatal consequences.
“It’s important to remember that some of the dangers on the railway aren’t always visible.
“We work extremely hard with the BTP, train operator colleagues and the wider community to highlight the risks of trespassing on the railway so it’s disappointing to see trespass still remains an issue.”
BTP superintendent Alison Evans added: “The rail network can be a deadly place; trespassing can result in devastating injuries or death.
“Please spread the word to stay off the tracks – it could just save a life.”
References
- ^ Bournemouth (www.bournemouthecho.co.uk)
- ^ crime (www.bournemouthecho.co.uk)