Talk to teens, parents urged

Network Rail and British Transport Police are urging parents to talk to their teenagers about rail safety and the devastating potential impact of trespass to them, their friends and family, and the wider community.

This comes ahead of the Easter school holiday and the easing of lockdown restrictions.

New data reveals there was a surge in reckless behaviour on the rail network when the nation emerged from lockdown last summer, which continued to the end of year.

The numbers increased most sharply in the under-18s age group, with a 40 per cent increase in the number of incidents recorded between July and December 2020, compared with the same period in 2019 and a 29 per cent increase on 2018.

November 2020 was the worst November on record for trespass incidents, and saw a staggering 75 per cent increase in youth incidents on the previous year.

Trespass is a cause of serious concern for Network Rail, which is why the You vs Train campaign was created in partnership with British Transport Police in summer 2018.

Primarily concentrating on young people, the number of incidents across the railway had been significantly decreasing year on year since the campaign’s introduction.

SNP candidate for Renfrewshire North and West Natalie Don said: “This is an important message for all families.

“Railway lines are dangerous, from overhead lines carrying 25,000 volts to almost silent running of modern electric trains – the railway is no place for children to play or for others to take shortcuts.

“Although rail services run to a scheduled timetable, this doesn’t mean that the rail line isn’t used 24 hours a day with untimetabled or freight traffic, as well as maintenance and repair work.

“Don’t chance it, there is no safe time to be crossing or hanging around on railway lines.”

More information is available at http://youvstrain. co.uk