Network Rail releases shocking footage of drunk revellers dicing with death after falling onto railway tracks

Francesca Gillett2 January 2018

Shocking footage of drunk revellers falling onto railway tracks has been released by Network Rail.

The string of clips show three horrifying near misses as stumbling passengers tumble from the platform onto the rails, only to be rescued minutes later by kind members of the public.

In one of the clips, a man staggers along the railway line before narrowly escaping the path of an oncoming train.

The footage was released as part of Network Rail’s Christmas safety campaign, as they said more than 7,400 booze-fuelled incidents were recorded on or around Britain’s railways over the last year.

A Good Samaritan rescues a man who had fallen onto the railway line.
PA

Two of the top 10 stations with the highest number of alcohol-related incidents were in London.

Birmingham New Street topped the list followed by Reading, East Croydon, Milton Keynes Central, Leeds and then Stratford.

A man about to fall onto the tracks at the railway station.
PA

Although none of the revellers featured in Network Rail’s footage were hurt, 21 people have been killed and 91 others seriously injured because of alcohol-related incidents at the platform edge in the last 10 years.

Stations with the most booze-fuelled incidents which caused rail delays

Number of incidents recorded over the last four years

Birmingham New Street 452

Reading 433

East Croydon 369

Milton Keynes Central 350

Leeds 279

Stratford 266

Doncaster 262

Peterborough 240

Bury Street Jn to Seven Sisters 219

Wolverhampton 209

Passengers boarding and alighting trains were involved in 469 alcohol-related accidents in the last five years, the rail organisation added.

It comes as the British Transport Police said they expected a spike in alcohol-linked violence across the UK’s rail network over the Christmas period following a similar rise last year.

The number of violent offences reported at railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales between November 24 last year and January 2 increased by 14 per cent compared with the same period in 2015/16. Almost one in 10 of those offences involved alcohol.

“As the festive season approaches, more people are going out to work parties and drinks, or catching up with family and friends,” Network Rail said.

“But for some, that fun can spell danger, and there is a sharp rise in alcohol-related incidents at stations and locations on the rail network.

“Alcohol can affect your vision and judgement, and when you’re at a station or a level crossing this could cause serious injury or death for you or someone else.”

More than one in six of all alcohol-related incidents reported on or around the railway in 2016/17 were during the festive period.

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