FLYING SCOTSMAN TRESPASS LATEST NEWS… THERE ISN’T ANY!

If no news is good news, I’d like to share some very glad tidings indeed. Flying Scotsman ran from Ealing Broadway to York on June 29… and there wasn’t a single recorded instance of trespass. That’s right. The engine that tested Network Rail’s patience on May 5 by bringing the Midland Main Line to a standstill, caused no problem on the same railway just eight or so weeks later.

Given that the infrastructure owner recently said it couldn’t rule out banning No. 60103 over trespass – albeit as “a move of last resort” (SR493) – that’s handy indeed. So, why the difference?

Well, as previously announced, British Transport Police officers have been travelling on the train, and both BTP and NR teams turned out at places it was thought posed a trespass risk. What’s more, the National Railway Museum says its ‘A3’ has now been fitted with the promised anti-trespasser ‘dash-cam’ (though you’ll be pushed to notice it).

However, all that only works as a deterrent if you get the message out; and NR’s Jack Harvey reckons targeted press releases from his organisation may have hit the spot. These, he says, “are being quite widely picked up by regional publications”.

On June 24, NR pushed out a trio of releases aimed at Bedfordshire, the East Midlands and Yorkshire. In them it warned not only that trespass can bring a £1,000 fine, but also that obstruction of trains has “a penalty of up to two years in prison.”

The message was reinforced by BTP Chief Inspector Gareth Davies’ warning, “that the railway is an extremely hazardous environment and those caught trespassing or obstructing trains can expect to be prosecuted.”

A quick trawl of news outlets shows that the message is being transmitted.

Whichever of these things had the biggest effect, it seems that on June 29 the collective actions did do the trick. Such a joined up approach is welcome.

So, see… it can be done. But the message must continue to be pushed – and all of us, including readers of this column, have a part to play. Otherwise we could very soon be back to where we were in May. Or worse.

Nobody wants that.