Vandalism, trespassing on railways on rise
Published : 29 May 2020, 01:13
Updated : 29 May 2020, 10:33
Vandalism and trespassing on railways increased in different areas of the country during the spring, according to reports of locomotive drivers of the national railway operator VR.
The number of such cases this year is much higher than that seen in recent years, said the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency in a press release on Thursday.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the police and VR reminded everyone that messing around on railways endangers not only the safety of train passengers but also the lives of the lawbreakers themselves.
“Unfortunately, the number of such cases are no longer so few that they can be counted on your fingers,” said Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency Traffic Safety Specialist Jarmo Koistinen.
According to eyewitness observations gathered over the years, those who trespass on railways are usually children or young people.
“I believe young people and children carrying out these crimes do not understand the risks involved. Trespassing and vandalism on railways are certainly not a harmless game, but rather they put one’s own life at risk,” said Koistinen.
Being run over by a train is not the only risk involved. There is also the risk of death from shock from the electrical voltage in the tracks, among others. This imminent risk of death is why climbing onto rail track structures and railway cars is prohibited.
“If you trespass on the railways, you are putting your life at risk. A train cannot swerve out of the way, and its stopping distance is several hundred metres. In addition to such serious incidents, vandalism may also have other consequences and may cause the delay of journeys of a number of trains. If the rolling stock is damaged due to, for example, an object left on the tracks, the cost of repairs may be high and compensation may be demanded from the perpetrator,” said VR Traffic Safety Director Tomi Kangas.
In addition to fines, the police have, in some cases, had to bring even more unfortunate news to the homes of those involved. The trespassers have, in some cases, received permanent injuries or even died. In the worst cases, the consequences of such messing around are truly tragic.
“As a young person, you can easily feel that you are immortal, because you still have your whole life ahead of you. Unfortunately, this is not, in fact, the case. So be sensible!” said Police Inspector Heikki Kallio of the National Police Board.