‘28 people trespassing’ on Larne line in one month

With 96 incidents recorded across the NI Railways network as a whole, local reports included an individual being removed from the line at Greenisland as recently as last week.

Meanwhile, an incident in Whitehead at the end of June saw a member of the public venture on to the railway line, resulting in the driver of an approaching service having to slow the train down.

The worrying incidents have led to a reinforced safety message from Translink, who are running a campaign over the summer months to raise awareness over the dangers of the railway network.

“Safety, while always at the top of the agenda for Translink, particularly comes to the fore at this time of year,” said Lynda Shannon, communications manager with Translink.

“While we always appeal for parents and carers to remind young people to stay away from tracks, they are not the only ones who decide to use the rail network as a shortcut.

“Of the trespassing incidents we recorded in the past month, many of the trespassers were adults and one of them was senior citizen!

“Sometimes people don’t think about what they could be up against if a train came along at the wrong minute.

“When you take into consideration that the fastest man in the world at last summer’s Olympics, Usain Bolt, can cover just over 10 metres per second, while one of our trains travelling at 90 miles per hour covers 40 metres per second, it’s clear that when it comes to man versus train, there’s no contest.

“We changed our timetable at the beginning of January this year to increase the number of services we operate and reopened the Coleraine-Londonderry line in March, so there are up to 60 services more operating each week on our network than there were this time last year.

“The impacts of trespassing range from delays to services on the line where a trespasser has been reported, which can severely impact passengers, through to the risk of serious injury or death,” Lynda added.

“Our trains have CCTV both inside and out and there are cameras located in several areas around the network which clearly capture footage of trespassers. If prosecuted, trespassers risk being fined if convicted at court.

“Over the summer months we will be running our annual ‘Deadline’ campaign to remind pedestrians and motorists to stay safe around railway tracks and facilities.”

To encourage the public to report instances of anti-social behaviour, Translink also operates a reward scheme which will make a cash payment of up to £1,000 to any member of the public who witnesses any incident of trespass, vandalism or assault against a member of staff and is prepared to give evidence in court, resulting in a conviction.