East Midlands Railway has seen over 20 instances of people throwing things at its trains or leaving items on the tracks. In order to deal with this dangerous behaviour, the rail operator is asking the public to report any reckless incidents.
Over the past year, the rail operator has seen 10 incidents of items deliberately being left on the line in order to create delays and cause damage. In one incident a microwave was thrown onto tracks close to Sunny Hill in Derby, a shopping trolley was placed on a line near Leicester station and a bike was placed on the tracks near to Kettering station.
The rail operator has endured bricks, stones and rocks thrown at its trains 14 times in 12 months leading to smashed windows with the potential to have endangered the lives of passengers and rail staff. Following such attacks, trains are usually damaged and need to be taken out of service in order for repairs to be carried out, all of which leads to delays and cancellations of services.
April this year saw youths cause significant damage to an East Midlands Railway train after throwing bricks off of Bennerley Viaduct. Just days later, another train was also damaged as a brick was thrown from land close to Clay Cross junction which smashed a window.
In order to deal with these needless incidents, East Midlands Railway is putting high-definition CCTV in place which can be monitored in real-time by the British Transport Police. The rail operator is also using the ‘what3words' system in order to locate the exact position of the illegal activity taking place. The footage alongside geographical information will be provided to the rail operator and the police in order to aid criminal prosecutions.
The rail operator's Community Rail Team is also helping to deal with the antisocial activity by working together with Network Rail's Community Engagement Manager in order to visit schools to promote rail safety.
Members of the public are also encouraged to play a part in keeping East Midlands Railway passengers safe by making sure to report any incidents immediately to the police.
Lucy Gallacher, Emergency Planning Manager at East Midlands Railway, said: “These reckless acts must stop. They are incredibly dangerous for our customers and our staff. They not only have the potential to endanger lives but also lead to trains being damaged, delayed and services being cancelled.
“Even though we are putting in place a number of measures to help address the issue, the public can also play a really important part.
“If they see any items being thrown at trains or someone placing items on the track, they should contact British Transport Police immediately by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40. Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”
Eddie Carlin, Embedded Police Inspector for the Disruption and Drones Tasking Team – East Midlands Main Line Route at British Transport Police, said: “We do not tolerate this mindless behaviour that endangers people's lives. We work closely with our partners at East Midlands Railway to patrol and catch those committing the crimes.
“We do this through a number of covert and overt operations and can use certain technology as deterrents. We also want to encourage parents to remind their children of the dangers of being near train tracks and the impact their actions can have.
“I'd encourage the public to report any incidents to us through our text number 61016, if you see a crime in progress call 999. Together we can make our railways a safer place to be.”
I don’t understand why any responsible member of the public would NOT report such behaviour. Do it discretely, and keep clear of the little thugs.