📋 Tender Overview
In Finland, nearly sixty people are hit by trains every year. Most of the cases are intentional, but there are also unintentional understatements. No statistics are compiled on near misses, but according to VR's and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's personnel, there are dozens of unauthorised people on the railway network every day," writes Kaisa-Elina Porras, Safety Specialist at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
At the Keuruu and Lapinlahti stations, a phenomenon similar to the one in the picture above is seen every day. The official and thus safe route from the train to the station and back is used by very few. Most people weave in front of or behind trains. The pedestrians are not necessarily even passengers, but ordinary trampers who want to straighten across the railway yard.
Finland is full of such problem areas, such as Keuruu and Lapinlahti. It would seem that pedestrians' understanding of the dangers of the railway network has become blurred, or that their own lives are worth nothing.
Going in front of or behind a train is very dangerous, as the train driver may not be able to see, in particular, the people behind the train when he starts moving. Passengers should also always remember that even if their own train is stopped on the platform, another train may pass by on the adjacent track. People lurking between trains pose a danger not only to themselves, but also to train staff and potential passengers. An emergency stop is a drastic measure that is sure to sway passengers from their seats.
At stations, righting ones are just the tip of the iceberg. People travel on the railway network every day anyway.
On one business trip, I watched in amazement a woman walking at a slow pace in the middle of the track with her dog on a leash. The woman was talking on her phone all the time and did not observe her surroundings at all. He was indignant when we pointed out that unauthorised movement on the railway network is punishable and that there will soon be a train behind you. Raining, the woman continued her day's jog, still in the middle of the tracks.
VR's personnel also get mud on their necks if they make the mistake of telling about the dangers of travelling on the railway network. The following excerpt is from VR's train driver's report:
Some sniff and tell the train driver to move the train away from the front. Some don't care, jumping between the carriages despite using the whistle.
Does fencing help?
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency aims to identify those sites where there are the most unauthorised pedestrians or where a shortcut has formed in a very difficult place for rail traffic to see. Of course, it will not be possible to fence off the entire length of the approximately 6 000 km network, because that would cost a great deal.
Moreover, fences stop only the laziest. If there is enough will, the fence will be knocked down or broken so that your own shortcut can be used again. All in all, a significant amount of society's money is spent on keeping unauthorised pedestrians off the railway network. That money is gone from everything else.
Above all, unauthorised pedestrians are a major safety problem on the national rail network. In addition, every failure is a tragedy that affects a large number of people, from train crew to emergency services and, of course, the victim's loved ones.
How can we make people understand the fact that trains are almost silent, weigh a lot, move fast and stop slowly, so it is clear that people come second when they get in the way of a train in motion? Is the saving of a few minutes from jumping across the track worth it to be disabled for the rest of your life or the rest of your life?
