Network
Rail


has
revealed
that
there
was
a
case
of
trespassing
on
the
railway
every
half
hour
on
average
in
the
year
to
5
April,
and
that
the
total
number
of
incidents
reported
was
more
than
19,300.

Compared
with
the
previous
year,
the
number
of
accumulated
delay
minutes
rose
by
15
per
cent
last
year,
making
trespass
one
of
the
biggest
causes
of
late
running.
It
accounted
for
108,168
minutes
of
delays
to
trains
–
equivalent
to
just
over
1800
hours,
75
days
or
225
working
days.

Trespass
is
almost
twice
as
likely
to
happen
during
the
summer
months,
because
more
than
three
out
of
five
incidents
were
recorded
during
British
Summer
Time.
Network
Rail
and
British
Transport
Police
are
calling
on
people
to
‘keep
themselves
safe’
when
they
are
near
railway
property.

A
long-established
programme
of
safety
education
is
continuing
over
the
summer
holidays.
One
case
used
as
an
example
of
how
straying
on
to
the
railway
can
have
tragic
results
is
that
of
11-year
old
Harrison
Ballantyne,
who
was
killed
on
the
line.
Harrison’s
story
is
told
on
the
You
vs
Train
website,
which
spells
out
the
risks
of
crossing
the
lineside
fence.

Parents
of
younger
children
may
find
more
suitable
details
on
the
Switched
On
website,
which
includes
education
about
the
dangers
of
trespassing
for
all
ages
between
3
and
16.

Network
Rail’s
head
of
level
crossings
and
public
safety
Rob
Wainwright
said:
‘Trespass
can
have
a
devastating
impact,
not
just
to
the
trespasser
at
risk
of
serious
life-changing
if
not
fatal
injuries,
but
also
on
their
friends
and
family.

‘Every
year
we
see
people
taking
risks,
often
unintentionally,
because
they
don’t
fully
understand
the
dangers.
Sometimes
that
ends
tragically,
like
the
case
of
Harrison. 
As
the
holiday
season
approaches,
we
are
once
again
asking
parents
to
ensure
that
they
and
their
children
know
all
about
rail
safety
so
they
can
behave
responsibly.
Help
us
to
get
everyone
to
where
they
want
to
be
safely
and
on
time
this
summer.’