Rail network crime costs £264m a year (From Surrey Comet)

Rail network crime costs £264m a year

9:30am Monday 13th April 2009 in News By Ben Thompson

A gang of 20 youths hurled bricks at trains and on to railway lines around Wimbledon station in the worst of a concerning number of crimes committed on Merton’s railways last year.

Network Rail revealed details of the incident in December as an example of the problems blighting the UK’s rail network and costing £264m a year.

There were eight incidents of people recklessly trespassing on railway lines near Wimbledon station and 10 on the tracks around Raynes Park Station in 2008.

And across London, the rail provider has reported a total of 1,500 incidents of trespass or vandalism involving people under 20-years-old in 2008. In some cases supermarket trolleys and even petrol bombs were thrown into the path of trains.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “Those behaving in this way are no just risking their own lives but those of the rail crews and innocent passengers.

“A railway is a dangerous place - trains can be travelling at more than 70 miles an hour and weigh up to 100 tonnes. That’s not to mention the risk of walking on a third rail.”

In a bid to clamp down on the level of rail crime, boxer Amir Khan is spearheading a campaign to teach the risks of getting on the wrong side of the tracks and encourage young people to get engaged in sport instead.

He said: “Young people need to know that messing about on the tracks is not what earns them respect. The young kids that I see in my community gym are learning a real skill in boxing, making friends and keeping out of trouble.

“I want young people to take a chance and try something new.”

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