When Sam Ashman, one of Arriva Rail London’s (ARL) experienced train drivers, appeared on BBC Morning Live on 1 July 2025, she shared a sobering reminder of the dangers of trespassing on railway tracks.

Her words weren’t just a warning – they were a heartfelt plea: “The first time I experienced a trespasser, somebody actually jumped from the platform down to the track to retrieve an item they dropped,” Sam recalled. “All we can do as drivers is put the emergency brake in, but it doesn’t stop the train instantly.”

Fortunately, that individual managed to climb back onto the platform in time. But the memory of that moment still lingers: “It was a heart-in-your-mouth moment. You think, ‘Please God, move.’ You can replace your headphones – your family can’t replace you.”

Sam’s experience isn’t unique. Research from Network Rail reveals just how misunderstood railway safety still is:

• 59% of people don’t know what the third or electric rail is.
• 38% believe electrocution from tracks can hurt but won’t cause serious injury – a dangerous misconception, as contact with the third rail can be fatal.
• 41% think it’s safe to walk on railway tracks if no trains are coming.
• A similar number believe it’s safe to retrieve something from the tracks as long as they don’t touch them.
• A third of people aged 29 to 44 admit they would take a shortcut across the tracks – similar to those aged 18 to 28.

Last year, trespass incidents rose by 20% following the start of British Summer Time – something Sam is all too aware of: “I’ve had someone picking blackberries down a 60 mile an hour piece of track. They didn’t understand that they shouldn’t have been there, because to them it’s just, well there’s blackberry bushes,” said Sam. “We’re a 280-tonne vehicle, pummelling towards you at 60 miles an hour. It plays on your mind. That’s when you realise just how close that could have been.”

Beyond the risk to life and emotional toll on drivers, trespassing causes significant disruption. Every incident requires safety checks, line examinations and sometimes hours of delays: “We have to make sure the track is safe to run on. That can mean someone coming out to check, or a driver going through a caution. All of it has a knock-on effect – be it a couple of minutes or a couple of hours.”

Sam’s message is simple: no shortcut, dropped item or photo opportunity is worth risking your life – or someone else’s. The safest choice is the simplest: stay off the tracks, stay safe.