concerned1
Member
- Joined
- 18 Mar 2012
- Messages
- 31
yesterday I saw two youthes crouched down low beside the down fast, in some undergrowth, clearly not wanting to be seen as I hurtled passed on a Avanti service. This was between Cheddington and Leighton Buzzard, a high-speed, stretch and in broad daylight. I assume if the driver had seen these two, he would have been compelled to contact control and all services would then have had to go slow between those two stations for the next hour or so, until it could be established the trespasses had been escorted off the line?
This made me think, what are the rules and what were the rules?
I remember travelling into Birmingham New Street in the early 90s and you would regularly see graffiti artists/trespassers in the tunnels and the drivers just used to hoot at them angrily. I don’t recall the lines getting closed
In days gone by when health and safety was less of a concern crossing the tracks even when footbridges were present was tacitly accepted both around stations and outside them by pax and staff. This still goes on on the West Highland line, and on many quieter branches with walkers (I saw a passenger run across the tracks at Hammerton a few years ago - nothing happened to him, indeed he went on to board the train) and I saw a whole family crossover the rails with bikes rather than using the footbridge at Beaulieu Road in 2019.
And whenever kettles are about the authorities seem to turn a blind eye towards photographers, getting onto the embankment etc and the lines are not closed as a result of this.
So is there a certain amount of common sense and judgement applied towards trespassesers on the track, i.e. if it’s obvious they know what they’re doing and are not about to jump in front of a train no matter how nefarious their activities, authorities, turn a blind eye? Or is there a one size fits all approach, and if they are noticed, no matter what they are doing procedures are followed?
This made me think, what are the rules and what were the rules?
I remember travelling into Birmingham New Street in the early 90s and you would regularly see graffiti artists/trespassers in the tunnels and the drivers just used to hoot at them angrily. I don’t recall the lines getting closed
In days gone by when health and safety was less of a concern crossing the tracks even when footbridges were present was tacitly accepted both around stations and outside them by pax and staff. This still goes on on the West Highland line, and on many quieter branches with walkers (I saw a passenger run across the tracks at Hammerton a few years ago - nothing happened to him, indeed he went on to board the train) and I saw a whole family crossover the rails with bikes rather than using the footbridge at Beaulieu Road in 2019.
And whenever kettles are about the authorities seem to turn a blind eye towards photographers, getting onto the embankment etc and the lines are not closed as a result of this.
So is there a certain amount of common sense and judgement applied towards trespassesers on the track, i.e. if it’s obvious they know what they’re doing and are not about to jump in front of a train no matter how nefarious their activities, authorities, turn a blind eye? Or is there a one size fits all approach, and if they are noticed, no matter what they are doing procedures are followed?