Railway safety and crime

RAIB: ‘Bad habits’ creeping in on renewals work almost caused fatal collision

30.10.17: The RAIB has released its report into a serious irregularity which occurred at Cardiff East Junction in December 2016 which could have caused trains to collide with each other. The incident occurred whilst Network Rail carried out extensive re...

Industry-wide update on platform safety

18.10.17: New guidance on platform safety standards have been released by the RSSB. Industry-wide measures have been updated and collectively agreements have been reached on platform safety in order to stop passengers getting hurt. The RSSB issu...

ScotRail to spend £2.6m clearing leaves off tracks in autumn

03.10.17: ScotRail is set to invest £2.6m in clearing the tracks of leaves this autumn as part of a larger programme of works to keep its passengers moving whatever the weather. Though falling leaves seem harmless, they can actually cause consi...

Stagecoach takes action following fatal Sheffield collision probe

27.09.17: The RAIB has issued a report following an investigation into a fatal collision with a pedestrian in December 2016. The pedestrian was using the crossing at the northern end of Woodbourn Road tram stop when they were struck by the tram as it...

Secure stations

25.09.17: Gary Heward, director at MFD International and a security consultant and member of the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists, managed by the Institution of Civil Engineers on behalf of the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastru...

What role does smart security have in safer rail?

08.09.17: Carl Pocknell, head of engineering at Panasonic System Solutions Europe, discusses the role of video analytics in keeping transport hubs safe and operating efficiently. Despite there being over five million CCTV cameras in the UK, most surv...

Thieves make off with £90,000 of copper wire from railway in Staffordshire

16.08.17: Thieves have stolen more than £90,000 worth of copper wire from the railway over the past six weeks in Staffordshire, Network Rail has today stated. Around 3,650 metres of copper cable was removed by criminals, and police believe that...

NR served with nearly £5m worth of health and safety fines in 2016-17

10.08.17: The rate of improvement in health and safety on the rail network has “plateaued”, the ORR has stated. It was also revealed that over the course of the last year, Network Rail paid out almost £5m in fines for three separate inci...

RAIB to investigate as child almost falls through floor of moving train

10.07.17: A mother and her child narrowly avoided falling through the open floor a toilet compartment on a South Devon Railway (SDR) train, prompting an investigation by the RAIB. In a statement today, the RAIB said it was investigating the incident...

CrossCountry partners with Scouts to push rail safety education initiative

05.07.17: A partnership between CrossCountry and the Scout Association has been announced this week to educate children and young people about rail safety. Educational materials have been developed by the operator for use by the Cub Scouts’ 150...

Alstom opens UK’s largest train modernisation facility in Widnes

29.06.17: One of the largest centres for train modernisation to ever be built in the UK has today been unveiled by Alstom. Situated in Widnes in the north west of England, the facility was opened by Parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Depar...

BTP issues warning after teen almost killed trespassing at Bescot depot

08.06.17: Police have today released information about a pair of teenagers who were seriously injured last week after being electrocuted by overhead wires when they climbed on top of a freight train in a rail depot. By releasing the information, the...

Courageous BTP officer praised as London Bridge station reopens

05.06.17: London Bridge station has today reopened following the terrorist incident that took place in the capital on Saturday evening. Network Rail had warned that police cordons were expected to be in place until at least 8am, but work was conclude...

Bravery of rail staff praised as Manchester Victoria reopens

30.05.17: Manchester Victoria has reopened for passengers today after being closed for seven days following the terrorist incident last week. The station was shut after the attack on 22 May at Manchester Arena’s foyer to allow police to carry o...

Firearms officers patrol trains for the first time

26.05.17: For the first time in rail history, specialist firearms officers will patrol trains across the UK network to ensure that the travelling public are kept safe after Monday’s terrorist attack. Following the events of the suicide bombing...