Trespassing from either animals or humans can cause all manner of delays and disruptions to railway journeys. The latest figures from Network Rail has found that in the 12 months until the end of March, 1,432 animals were trespassing on the railways. That is around four animals every day.
These included deer, bees, a donkey, mice, hedgehogs, and even a “well-known” tortoise. “The worst offenders by far” however, are people who accounted for 19,300 incidents or around one every half hour.
Deer tend to live in high numbers in rural and forested areas which are commonly found alongside the railways. This could be why they were ranked first among animal trespassers, being responsible for almost 350 incidents over the period as they strayed onto the railway.
Next on the list is sheep who were responsible for 177 incidents. Birds are close behind with 172 incidents followed by cows with 156 recorded incidents.
“Trespassing on the railway is a serious offence that causes delays to thousands of trains every year and can be very costly for people – causing death and life changing injuries due to the railways many hidden dangers,” Helen Hamlin, operations chief at Network Rail, said. “This summer, when we see trespass at its peak our message is clear whoever you are: child, adult, dog walker, holiday maker or beast – stay off the tracks.”
The animals next on the list are dogs, cats, badgers, foxes, and pigs. Some of the more unexpected visitors include bees, mice, hedgehogs, a llama, and a tortoise.
A number of systems have been trialled to deter animals from the railways. An automated deer deterrent system uses sound and vision sensors to identify when a deer approaches the track. Once it detects the deer, it sets off an alarm that warns the animal away. The AI cameras then monitor the deer’s movement until it’s moved a safe distance away. The system has been declared a success, having deterred nearly 6,000 deer from accessing the railway. There are plans to roll it out further.
