Don’t pose for selfies on railway tracks, Dutch rail operator urges

ProRail via Twitter

Dutch rail company ProRail has launched an urgent appeal to people not to take selfies of themselves posing on or next to railway tracks.

An average of nine people are caught walking on or too close to the railway and they are the biggest external factor for delays, ProRail spokesman Jaap Eikelboom told the AD.

‘It could be people taking the dog out or taking a short cut, but increasingly, we see people taking photographs,’ he said.

In 2012, railway staff reported 2,353 incidents in which people were walking on the tracks. By 2015 the total had reached almost 3,000.

Some 25% of all train journey delays are due to people on the tracks. ‘They account for 3.5 hours of delays a day,’ Eikelboom said. ‘Last year that meant 1.6 million people arrived late at their destination.’

ProRail has been putting up bigger and better fences in an effort to keep people off the tracks and is monitoring social media to spot selfie-takers.

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