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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • FRA calls on states to inspect traffic signals at rail crossings
    February 18, 2016
    The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today called on state departments of transportation to verify that railroad crossing warning systems interconnected to traffic signals function properly to verify that the traffic signals and crossing lights are properly sequenced and enough time is provided for traffic to clear from a nearby intersection before a train enters a crossing. The agency also urged states to add event recorders to traffic signals connected to railroad crossing systems so information o
  • Los Angeles highway closure fears prove groundless
    April 19, 2012
    Fears that the closure of a heavily congested stretch of highway in the US city of Los Angeles would lead to massive gridlock over the weekend proved groundless. The demolition of the Mulholland Overpass crossing above I-405 required a 53 hour closure of the busy highway along a 16km stretch. The highway carries amongst the heaviest traffic volumes of any stretch of road in the US and there has been concern that the necessary closure would cause chaos on the city as the inhabitants rely heavily on passenger
  • Don’t drive drunk – or use a hands-free phone
    August 29, 2019
    Despite law changes, drivers’ bad habits have been creeping back in. TRL’s Dr Shaun Helman tells Adam Hill why using a phone at the wheel is just as distracting as driving after a few drinks esearch from as far back as 2002 (see box) suggests that driving while making a phone call – either hands-free or holding a handset to your ear – creates the same amount of distraction as being drunk behind the wheel. While it is notoriously hard to predict how alcohol will affect an individual (due to the speed of
  • Transport problems need ''strong action from policymakers”
    June 7, 2012
    Taking advantage of the attendance of the heads of ITS Asia-Pacific, ITS America, Ertico – ITS Europe, and ITS Malaysia as the host nation of the recent 12th ITS Asia-Pacific Forum in Kuala Lumpur in April, ITS International initiated a round table discussion on the big ITS issues confronting the individual regions. For such a diverse collection of advanced and emerging nations spanning the globe, in terms of the advancement of ITS, a common single issue emerges above all others