Network Rail issues new trespass safety warning as summer holiday season begins

Network Rail is urging people to stay off the tracks and not put themselves and others at risk new safety figures reveal that there were more than 19,300 trespass incidents on the rail network (2,682 on the Wessex route) in the 2023/24 financial year – that’s one every half an hour.   

Across the Wessex route in 2023/24, there were 2,682 trespass incidents which equates to over seven occurrences each day. 292 of these were committed by children. While the number of incidents has decreased from 3,045 in 2022/23, the delays increased from 20,041 minutes to 22,727 minutes. That equates to 378 hours, or over 47 working days1. This increase in delay minutes is, in part, due to the increase in train services since the Covid pandemic. It is also worth noting that if the incident is on a busy part of the network, the delay minutes will be markedly higher as trains will be stopped until the tracks are clear.

Nationally, trespass was one of the biggest causes of delay in 2023/4, accounting for 108,168 minutes of delays to rail passenger and freight services – the equivalent of just over 1800 hours, 75 days or 225 working days1.  A 15%2increase in the number of delays minutes caused by trespass in the previous year.  

The figures also reveal that trespass is almost twice as likely to happen during the summer months3, with more than 60% of all incidents recorded during British Summer Time. As a result, Network Rail and the British Transport Police are calling on people to ensure that they know how to keep themselves safe when they are in a rail setting. 

This summer, the rail industry will continue to educate people living in near high-risk areas about the dangers of railway trespass using the story of Harrison Ballantyne, an 11-year old boy who lost his life after straying unauthorised onto the railway. His harrowing story can be viewed on the You vs Train website, which also details facts about the dangers present on the railway as well as information on  the rail industry’s anti-trespass initiatives.  Parents with children of Key Stage 1 age can find more age-appropriate rail safety tools on the Switched On website.

Rob Wainwright, head of level crossings and public safety for Network Rail, explained: “Trespass can have a devastating impact, not just to the trespasser who puts themselves at risk of serious life-changing, if not fatal, injuries, but also on their loved ones – their friends and family.

“Every year we see people taking risks – often unintentionally – because they don’t fully understand the dangers that are present in a rail setting. Sometimes that ends tragically, like in 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 when they are in a rail setting. Help us to get everyone to where they want to be safely and on time this summertime.”