Safety on The Railway

The railway keeps the country moving. It carries us to work and gets us to school, brings us together and takes us away. The railway is for us, our families and our friends and it has huge 20,000 miles of track, two and a half thousand stations, 30,000 bridges and tunnels moving 24,000 trains and millions of passenger journeys a day and it's not just passengers four hundred thousand tons of freight moved across the UK by rail every 24 hours. Train travel is an efficient environmentally friendly and safe way to get people and goods where they need to be and we're always trying to make it safer but its not always a simple job to start with. Trains are fast and very very heavy. They can't swerve or change course unexpectedly and with so much momentum a driver won't be able to stop in time if they spot danger ahead. It can take over two kilometers to bring a train to a full stop. We do anything we can to keep the railway safe and which means keeping you away from the tracks. We want everyone safe every day. Everyone who uses the railway, works on the railway or lives by the railway deserves to be safe but we can't do that all on our own. We need you to do your part and you're about to find out how britain's rail network is a wonder of engineering. Transporting millions of people every day quickly, reliably and safely. Network rail uses cutting edge technology and strict safety standards to make sure that rail is one of the safest possible modes of transport. This blog is about how you can stay safe in the dangerous places where roads rail and footpaths meet level crossings.

Many years ago, when the rail network was first being constructed, engineers couldn't manage to build bridges and tunnels at every point where the railway crossed a road. So as replacement they created level crossings places that allowed people to cross the railway safely. Nowadays, We have around 6,000 level crossings across the UK and they come in different shapes and sizes from footpaths across the railway to busy road crossings with hundreds of cars and pedestrians going through every hour. As neither two crossings are the same they do all have one thing in common. They are all probably very dangerous places so it's very important that you follow these key tips to keep you, your family and friends safe when using them. Firstly and most importantly, be alert. It's really easy to get diverted especially by phones and music. So take your headphones off, put your phone away and stop look and listen. Never think that the line is clear or that someone else is looking out for you and always expect a train in quieter areas. You may come across crossings with gates that you operate manually and if you see sign by gated crossing it means that you need to check that the line is clear yourself before crossing these crossings. They have no alarms or warning lights to alert you of a coming train. So take care, stop, look and listen. Always look both directions before and after opening the gates, close the gates and cross and if you're in a group always make sure there's enough room for you all to get across safely. If you have a dog, always keep it on its lead. Its safety is your responsibility. Some crossings have warning lights and alarms. If they're sounding, don't cross. A train will be coming at speed and just because a train has passed doesn't mean it's safe to cross. Another could be coming from either direction never cross until the lights stop flashing and the alarms stop. Drivers, if you're seduced to jump the lights or race around closing barriers don't do it. You're making other people's lives at risk as well as your own. We're doing anything we can to make sure level crossings are as safe as possible but while there are still cyclists drivers and pedestrians taking risks, there's always the chance that accidents will happen and unfortunately there are still hundreds of near-misses injuries and even fatalities every year because people are taking risks at level crossings every day which is what we call deliberate misuse. Intentionally misusing level crossings is extremely dangerous for the people. Misusing them for other users of the crossing and for people on the train. Don't be part of the problem. 

Lets meet a driver name carol burns. He is a train driver for west midlands trains. He is based at bletchley depot and he has been driving for approximately 20 years. It was his first day back after christmas. It was a typical gray january morning as he approached master level crossing. He saw a car on the crossing in front of him and he remembered, he put the horn. He put the train into emergency knowing that he wasn't going to stop but just hoping that the car was going quick enough to get out of his subway. As he got nearer to the crossing the driver of the car looked up at him because by now his window was level with his driver's side window and then the next thing he remembered was the sound of breaking glass and he knew that he has hit the car. The emergency services arrived really quickly and then the police came and spoke to him and told him that the driver hadn't made it, had been pronounced dead at the scene. You feel responsible because somebody's lost their life even though you're at no fault, you still feel responsible for somebody losing their life. Because life's precious and it's just the most awful feeling it had effects on his family or his children. It had effects on his mental health. He had to have counseling. He couldn't work six months. It's just the most awful thing in the whole world you just can't imagine how bad it is. So just don't take any risks, don't put yourself at risk, don't put your family in the position or the driver or their families in this position, because nobody needs to suffer and nobody needs to do that. 

Railways are a safe place if you follow the rules and don't take the chance. Despite all the millions of miles traveled in passengers and freight transported the railway creates only 1.5 percent a tiny fraction of all UK transport emissions and we're always looking to improve. Decades ago we replaced steam trains with cleaner, more efficient diesel ones and we're now looking to replace diesel trains as much as possible with cleaner and quieter electric trains. Railway electricity is delivered either by overhead lines which suit high speed trains or by something we call the third rail, an extra rail to the side of the track which is used on some commuter routes. By using electricity, the railway is becoming more environmentally friendly but there is a downside. Trains are of course very heavy, a passenger train can weigh 400 tons the equivalent to 80 elephants and to move something that heavy very quickly, requires a lot of power and that means a lot of electricity between 750 and 25,000 volts. That's a hundred times more powerful than the electricity you get at home and that much electricity can be very dangerous. Those who do survive coming into contact with railway electricity are left with life-changing injuries including burns, amputations and permanent scars both physical and emotional. Electricity is one of the most dangerous factors when stepping onto the railway and it's always on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when there are no trains. Never underestimate how dangerous railway electricity is? You don't even need to touch anything to be electrocuted at 25,000 volts. Electricity can arc through the air like lightning and strike three meters from the overhead lines. It can also strike you through something you're holding, meaning balloons. Kites or fishing rods should never be allowed anywhere near the overhead line the powered third rail is a danger that hides in plain sight it appears to be an ordinary rail but it carries 750 volts of electricity and if you're unfortunate enough to touch one the current has the power to hold you to the rail and inflict terrible injuries. Please don't take risks with rail electricity stay off the tracks, keep away from the cables and whatever you do stay safe. Railway lines are fenced off from the public with good reason. Inside the fence is an environment full of danger high power electric cables capable of delivering devastating injury. Bridges and tunnels with no escape space for pedestrians and the constant threat of sudden collision with massively heavy fast-moving trains operating day and night. It might appear that deserted railway locations are perfect for exploring or for taking a shortcut across the lines but thinking these empty tracks are safe for you and your friends to cross or mess about on could be a fatal mistake and here's why modern trains are extremely fast and so quiet they give you no time to react. At top speed they can cover the length of a football pitch in less than two seconds. The only way to stay safe is to stay clear. 

Entering railway property or stepping onto the tracks without permission is trespassing. Trespassing is illegal, foolish and very very hazardous. By reducing delays, danger and damage to the railway, we can make sure everyone gets home safe, secure and on time and that's why we have the british transport police. The british transport police are basically a dedicated police force that focus on providing safe travel for railway passengers and also protecting the railway. Their network of uniformed police officers playing plainclothes Police officers and over 150,000 cctv cameras they are monitoring you 24/7 when you use the railway network. They are here to look out for you but if you do commit an offense when you're on the railway it will be monitored and will be seen. They will charge, will convict for them if it's deemed appropriate and getting a criminal record can be detrimental to your future. It can not only stop you from getting the job you want, it could restrict your travel to other countries, places like america and australia, will not let you into their country if you have a criminal record. Really that's not something you want as a consequence of simple trespass or disruption on the railway. Over the past few months they have dealt with far too many deaths on the railway where a person has been killed when they've been struck by a train and they've been on the railway, when they shouldn't be, the incident itself.

Think about other people, think about your family and your friends that want you to survive, want you to live a life. There's no guarantee that you will come off those tracks if you go on them.