Network Rail: campaign to reduce alcohol-related railway incidents

To combat the 7,419 recorded alcohol-related incidents on or around the railway in 2016/17, 16% of which took place over the festive period; Network Rail, British Transport Police, RSSB and charity Drinkware have launched a campaign called Keep a Clear Head. The scheme is also encouraging the public to keep a clear head on the rail network using local and national communications channels, including across social media.
December 22, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
To combat the 7,419 recorded alcohol-related incidents on or around the railway in 2016/17, 16% of which took place over the festive period; 5021 Network Rail, British Transport Police, 7978 RSSB and charity Drinkware have launched a campaign called Keep a Clear Head. The scheme is also encouraging the public to keep a clear head on the rail network using local and national communications channels, including across social media.


Figures from Network Rail revealed that 21 people were killed due to alcohol-related incidents at the platform edge, and a further 91 people have received serious injuries over the last ten years. Passengers boarding and alighting trains were involved in 469 alcohol-related accidents in the last five years.

Network Rail is sharing its message to smartphones on the rail network in locations where there have been higher levels of alcohol-related incidents or with more pubs and clubs nearby. There will also be alcohol awareness events in stations in the run-up to Christmas.

Level crossing managers will provide safety information to its users and a virtual reality film, Keep a clear head, can be viewed on the level crossings app.

The top 10 stations with alcohol-related delay-causing incidents revealed that Birmingham New Street had 452 between 2012/13 to 2017/18, followed by 433 incidents at Reading station over the same period.

Danger points for intoxicated passengers include not heeding the warning signs at level crossings; trips and slips at the platform edge and on station escalators and; straying onto railway tracks.

According to British Transport Police, there has also been a rise in violence at many of the busiest railway stations over the festive season, much of which is caused by excess alcohol. Between 24 November 2016 and 2 January 2017, the number of violent offences reported at railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales increased by 14% compared with the same period in 2015/16. Almost one in 10 of those offences involved alcohol.

Allan Spence, head of public and passenger safety, Network Rail, said: Though trains are the safest way to get around, passengers and people living near the railway must always remember that it can be a dangerous place. That’s why we’re reminding the public to remain alert to those dangers whilst they’re having fun over the festive season. Taking a short cut across the tracks, chancing it at level crossings or tripping at the platform edge can, at best cause delays to your journey; at worse it can result in serious harm. Enjoy yourself but don’t let alcohol stop you or your fellow passengers from getting to where you need to be – keep a clear head.”

Related Content

  • December 4, 2012
    ITS World Congress debates perceptions of enforcement
    The technical programme of this year’s ITS World Congress in Vienna includes a special session on the image of enforcement. ITS International examines the scale of the problem and what can be done about it. Debate on the merits and difficulties of enforcing speed limits appears centred on a conflict of principles. Put very simply, local communities, people living close to busy or hazardous roads, want to see traffic speeds calmed. Drivers on those roads, on the whole, want their principle of freedom to be m
    Read More
  • August 30, 2019
    Axis gets on board
    Vision technology provider Axis Communications has set up a camera system for ATrain, which owns and operates rail services – including seven trains and one workshop - between Stockholm and Arlanda Airport. The Arlanda Express trains run on one of the few privately-operated railroad lines in Sweden. The company decided in 2015 to install a camera solution at train stations and depots to monitor flows of travellers, checking signs, elevators and escalators and making sure that the ticket machines are wor
    Read More
  • August 21, 2018
    Big wheels keep on turnin’
    Many of the great and the good in the global mobility sector gathered at this year’s Movin’ On event in Montreal. Measured regulation of technologies and safety issues were major themes, reports David Arminas. *Bibendum is the original name for the Michelin Man, the symbol of the Michelin tyre company Autonomous vehicles, platooning, smart intersections and safety – these were the talking points over two-and-a-half days of the Movin’ On event in Montreal, Canada. Everyone in the mobility sector is at the
    Read More
  • September 2, 2013
    Cash injection to deliver smart card technology to UK rail passengers
    The UK government is investing US$4.4 million into a trial of paperless ticketing as it starts its multi-million pound push to deliver smart card technology to rail passengers across the south east, Transport Minister Norman Baker has announced. Train operator c2c, which operates between London and the Essex coast, will upgrade ticketing systems at all of its stations outside London, paving the way for passengers to start using smart cards in the region. This will be rolled out on services outside London fr
    Read More

Highlighted Content