Skip to main content

Network Rail warns commuters after near misses with trains

Britain’s network Rail is warning commuters to take care on level crossings after new figures revealed that more than half of all near misses with trains at level crossings over the last five years took place during the evening rush hour. To combat the problem and help improve the safety of everyone who travels on or across the railway, Network Rail has launched a new level crossing safety awareness campaign targeting commuters, reminding them to take care at level crossings, particularly as they travel
March 3, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Britain’s 5021 network Rail is warning commuters to take care on level crossings after new figures revealed that more than half of all near misses with trains at level crossings over the last five years took place during the evening rush hour.

To combat the problem and help improve the safety of everyone who travels on or across the railway, Network Rail has launched a new level crossing safety awareness campaign targeting commuters, reminding them to take care at level crossings, particularly as they travel home from work.

According to Network Rail, in the last five years, there have been more than 500 near misses involving cyclists, motorists and pedestrians during the peak travel hours for commuters –7-9am and 4-7pm. Six out of every ten of these incidents occur during the evening rush hours.

Network Rail’s campaign launch coincides with British Transport Police’s (BTP) Operation Look level crossing safety initiative.  BTP and Network Rail safety teams will be at level crossings across Britain today handing out leaflets and travel card holders carrying key safety messages and giving advice on how to use level crossings safely to commuters and other level crossing users.

Related Content

  • April 2, 2019
    Deaths of US pedestrians rise sharply, says GHSA report
    Pedestrian deaths across the US have risen to their highest number in nearly 30 years. Many factors are responsible - including the rise and rise of SUVs - according to a worrying new GHSA report ore pedestrians died on US roads last year than in any year since 1990. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) suggests that 6,227 pedestrians were killed in 2018 – a 4% increase on 2017. Pedestrian deaths as a percentage of total motor vehicle crash deaths increased from 12% in 2008 to 16% in 2017, whi
  • December 17, 2012
    Kapsch to maintain UK rail GSM-R network
    Austrian rail telecommunication systems integrator Kapsch CarrierCom has been awarded the contract to maintain the entire GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway) network on behalf of British railway infrastructure operator Network Rail. The multi-year agreement will see Kapsch supporting Network Rail’s control centre team to ensure the highest levels of network availability, enabling higher frequency of train services and greater safety standards. GSM-R is an international wireless communi
  • October 30, 2013
    HS2 ‘crucial to Britain’s future transport needs’
    Britain cannot meet its future transport needs without HS2, according to new evidence published by the government. Even with over US$80 billion of planned transport investment over the next six years the country’s railways will be overwhelmed. The strategic case for HS2 sets out in detail the need for a new railway line to provide the vitally needed extra capacity. Central to the case is new data that reveals the true extent of the crisis facing the UK rail network and the impact alternatives to buildin
  • June 6, 2016
    Autonomous driving – what can we really expect?
    Dave Marples of Technolution BV looks beyond the hype to the practical implementation of autonomous vehicles. Having looked at the development of this sector for some time, I am concerned about the current state of autonomous driving development as engineering (and marketing) have run way ahead of the wider systemic, and legislative, requirements to support an autonomous future.