The CCTV footage shows incidents at Portslade and South Croydon stations where empty pushchairs roll on to the tracks, and a parent falling onto the platform when leaving a train with a buggy at Gatwick Airport station.
Already this year, 13 safety incidents involving children have been recorded at GTR stations when boarding and alighting trains, and last year there were 36 incidents. Fortunately, none of the incidents that GTR has released today resulted in major physical injuries but as the footage shows, some could have had a much more serious outcome.
The most common cause of boarding and alighting accidents was parents alighting forwards and the wheels getting caught in the gap. The second most common cause was insufficient supervision of the child stepping on or off the train. In addition to boarding and alighting incidents, GTR also sees instances of parents with young children not using the wide aisle gate when entering or exiting stations.
GTR says it has seen an increase in incidents involving children year on year in the first quarter of this year. As part of its Rail Safety Week activity (16-22 June), GTR wants to prevent these incidents, particularly over the summer months as more people travel with children, by highlighting the importance of safe pushchair and buggy use on station platforms.
To support the message GTR is also giving out 840 Arlo’s Adventure Rail Safety books from the stations we see the most children travel from and those where we’ve had the highest number of child boarding and alighting accidents.
GTR is reminding all passengers to:
- Hold tight to young children when boarding and alighting
- Ensure children are strapped into buggies before boarding & alighting
- Apply brakes on buggies when stationary on platforms
- Keep hold of pushchairs at all times, especially on platforms
- Stay behind the yellow line and remain alert when trains are approaching.
Samantha Facey, Health, Safety & Security Director at GTR, said: “We know how challenging travelling with young children can be, and we want to help families feel safe and supported every step of the journey. These incidents are a reminder of how important it is to stay vigilant—especially when using buggies on platforms or getting on and off trains. We’re asking everyone travelling with little ones to take a moment to plan ahead, hold on tight, and use the wide gates where possible. A little extra care can go a long way in keeping you and your children safe.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Locations where most incidents involving children on platforms incidents have occurred:
- London Victoria
- East Croydon
- Gatwick Airport
- London Blackfriars
- East Grinstead
The most common cause of boarding and alighting accidents was parents alighting forwards and the wheels getting caught in the gap (as in the Gatwick Airport station clip). The second most common cause was insufficient supervision of the child stepping on or off the train.
The stations where the 840 (70 per station) Arlo’s Adventure Rail Safety books will be given out are:
- Gatwick Airport
- Victoria
- East Croydon
- London Blackfriars
- East Grinstead
- Brighton
- St Albans
- Eastbourne
- St Pancras
- Three Bridges
- Stevenage
- Luton Airport Parkway
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com
