New campaign to prevent people retrieving items from train tracks
Southern says almost 400 people risked their lives on lines in just 12 months
One of Sussex's railway companies has reimagined a classic children's song to encourage people not to let their belongings fall onto train tracks.
Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express, says more than 400 people risked their lives by stepping onto tracks to retrieve items between April 2022 and March 2023.
They're asking passengers to check their "Heads phones, Shoulders bags, Keys and Phones" while getting onto or off of services.
Network Rail data has revealed that headphones and mobile phones account for 50% and 43%, respectively, of all small tech dropped on tracks since 2018.
The song, which is called the ‘Keep off the Track’ track, was released on Spotify today to mark the beginning of Rail Safety Week (26th June - 2nd July).
Almost 200 items are dropped onto railway tracks every year, including scooters, pushchair wheels, jackets or coats and traffic cones.
These have been brought to life in a striking visual that acts as the album cover for the new song, with commonly dropped items creating a chalk body outline associated with crime scenes. The visual is a stark reminder of the consequences that come with accessing railway lines.
GTR’s Health, Safety and Security Director, Samantha Facey, said that instances like this are easily avoidable by checking your belongings are secure.
"It’s easy for small items like headphones, mobile phones and bank cards to be dropped onto tracks and the last thing we want is for people to be risking their lives to get things back themselves.
"We’re unfortunately seeing an increase in these types of incidents, so we wanted to do something to grab people’s attention and remind them to keep hold of their belongings when getting on and off trains – and to never try and get a dropped item off the track.
"Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is a classic nursery rhyme recognised worldwide, so we’ve taken the catchy lyrics and updated them with a serious message to help people be more vigilant with their belongings."
As well as health and safety dangers related to dropped items, industry data also reveals that in 2022, more than 60 hours of train delays were caused by items being dropped on tracks.
In the instance that someone does drop something onto the track, they should speak to a member of station staff or visit one of the designated help points.
You can listen to the song here.