Modern drone technology is being used by Network Rail and the British Transport Police so that they can have an aerial view of the railway in their battle against trespassers to keep everyone safe and prevent delays.

Trespass incidents increase during the school holidays and half term, and drones are being used by officers to spot people who shouldn’t be on the tracks. To speed up the search for people, the drones used have been fitted with special cameras with high-quality zoom and thermal imaging that enable trespassers to be found quickly before they come to any harm. The new technology also reduces the length of time trains are stopped in the area, minimising the impact on services.

Network Rail recently released shocking footage released showing serious trespass incidents across the East Midlands and in Cornwall.

Thousands of trespassing incidents are recorded each year which is a huge problem for the railway. During the last year, from April 2021 to April 2022, 1,105 incidents were recorded which resulted in 48,702 delays at a cost of £3.5m. So far this year, since April there have already been 572 trespass incidents, which have resulted in 21,021 minutes of delays to trains, at a cost of £1.1m to the industry.

It is not only delays to trains that are a by-product of trespassing on the railways, as it also carries a potentially devastating impact, not only on to the trespasser – who risks serious life-changing, if not fatal injury – but also on their friends and family, and the wider community.

To learn more about what Network Rail is doing to keep people safe please visit: Safety in the community – Network Rail at https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “We’re already seeing the benefits of having this technology, in terms of finding people quickly and reducing the length of delays for passengers. The railway is full of danger, both obvious and hidden and this new equipment will help us and the British Transport Police to keep everyone safe.”