We’ve teamed up with British Transport police to launch two new powerful safety films as part of our campaign to tackle unsafe behaviour around the railway. It comes as the number of accidental deaths on the railway has reached a five-year high.
Twenty-four people lost their lives in preventable accidents on the railway between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. That’s a 26% increase on the previous year.
Five of those lives were lost at level crossings, while the other 19 were a result of crossing the railway at unauthorised locations.
Tragic and life-changing consequences
That’s why we’ve worked with the emergency services and film industry professions to make the new safety films. They feature first responders sharing the devastating physical and emotional impacts of unsafe behaviour.
One film explores the emotional impact on families when loved ones have been badly injured on the railway. The second film features an NHS trauma specialist explaining the catastrophic injuries caused by getting hit by a train.
You can watch them here.
The campaign urges everyone to stay off tracks, observe warning signs, and use level crossings safely as the summer holiday approach. And it particularly highlight the dangers of distraction from mobile phones when around the railway.
Pedestrians were involved in 457 of the 467 near-misses with trains at level crossings between April last year and March this year.
Our research reveals distraction by mobile phones is likely to be a contributing factor in some of those events.
Staying alert and safe
Safety incidents involving the public risk lives but also have a serious impact on your train journeys. Last year, people straying onto the railway tracks resulted in more than a million minutes of delays.
Priti Patel, chief health, safety and wellbeing officer at Network Rail, said: “These figures are deeply concerning and it is heartbreaking to know that twenty-six people did not make it home due to circumstances that were entirely preventable. Every one of these deaths is a tragedy that devastates families and communities.
“All we ask is that people ensure that they pay attention when they find themselves in a rail setting. Only cross at safe, designated locations such as bridges or level crossings and when you are using them, give them your full attention. The situations shown in our campaign films are real. Please don’t let them become true for you or your loved ones.”
Adam Swallow, chief inspector at British Transport Police, said: “Every year, my emergency services colleagues and I are faced with the awful consequences of preventable railway accidents. And we don’t just respond, we remember too. Behind every statistic is a real person – a life needlessly lost or irreversibly changed and a family left devastated.
“The number of near misses is a stark reminder about why this campaign is so vital. These films are grounded in real-life experiences and show the terrible impact of a moment’s distraction or misjudgement.
“As the summer holidays begin and more people are out and about, including teenagers and younger children, we’re asking everyone to treat the railway with the seriousness and respect it demands; stay alert, avoid distractions, and never cross except at designated points. It could save your life, or someone else’s.
“I’d encourage people to save 61016 into their phones and text us if they need us. In an emergency always dial 999.”
Find more information on railway safety and watch the new films: http://www.youvstrain.co.uk
Guidance on how to use level crossings safely is available here: Level crossing safety – Network Rail.
