Three incidents involving children captured on CCTV underscore the importance of train station safety.
Recent CCTV footage shows an incident at Darlington Station where a young child falls in between the train and platform edge.
Another incident recorded on video shows a baby falling backwards out of a buggy while boarding a train at Newcastle Central Station.
Another video shows a young child climbing onto the tracks at Newark Northgate Station.
And as we reported yesterday, another close escape occurred when station staff saved a woman who had climbed onto railway tracks at a station in County Durham.
Already this year, CCTV cameras have recorded eight safety incidents involving children. Thankfully, all of them have resulted in only minor physical injuries. But as we can see in the video footage, the outcomes could easily have been much worse.
As part of its Rail Safety Week activity, London North Eastern (LNER) is making the prevention of such incidents an urgent priority. The train operator is trying hard to inform parents and carers about available services and safety measures at its stations.
LNER stresses that safety related help is available at any station to anyone who needs it. Anyone can request help on arrival at any of its eleven managed stations, or pre-book online or over the phone through the Passenger Assist service.
London North Eastern (LNER) reminds customers to observe the tactile surfaces and clear yellow markings that define the edges of safe areas, and not to be on them whenever a train is moving. Staff are also visible and standing by to provide guidance for customers about platform safety.as every train arrives and departs.
Every LNER station has a waiting area, and London King's Cross even has a dedicated family lounge. Those travelling with youngsters can use these to wait safely and minimise time spent on platforms.
Travelling by train is one of the safest ways to travel and thankfully incidents like the ones captured on the CCTV are rare, but they do happen. We know that travelling with children can be challenging. Navigating buggies and luggage through a busy station can be stressful. So, we want to make sure parents and carers are aware of the services we have available which can make their journey with us smoother and safer.
Warrick Dent, LNER Safety and Operations Director
