CCTV footage has captured the alarming moment children risked their lives by playing on railway tracks as trains sped past in Inverness, Scotland. The incidents, recorded at a pedestrian crossing, show a train narrowly missing a group of youngsters dancing on the line and others placing stones on the track.
First Incident: Near Miss with Teens
One clip released by Network Rail shows a driver forced to slam on emergency brakes after spotting two teenagers loitering in the middle of the track. The train, traveling along a narrow one-lane track, appears as the duo emerge from bushes on the left-hand side and stand in front of the oncoming vehicle. The driver brakes but only stops several moments after passing the crossing, missing the boys by mere feet.
Another angle from a ground-level camera on the opposite side of the crossing reveals how close the train came to hitting them. The long train speeds by, obscuring the children from view, before moving out of shot to reveal the boys had somehow not been struck. The teenagers then stare calmly at the locomotive as it slows, even though they came within seconds of being killed. One of the pair opens the gate and leaves, but not before the other appears to dance on the track one more time.
Second Incident: Stones on the Track
A similar near-miss occurred at the same crossing a week earlier. CCTV from April 30 at 8:11 pm shows a group of children loitering by the railway. One rushes onto the track and begins placing piles of stones on the rails, quickly joined by three friends. A fifth member walks slowly into the fray. They can be heard shouting and laughing as they carry out the reckless prank. One by one, they sprint back to safety, with a member screeching as they leave. Two teenagers later returned to remove the stones, according to Network Rail.
Safety Warning
Around 30 trains pass through the crossing daily, reaching speeds up to 50 mph. Rachel Shaw, head of operational safety at Network Rail, stated: 'Incidents like this are incredibly concerning. The railway is not a place to hang around with your friends. It's an operational environment with fast moving trains that can't swerve out of the way or stop quickly. Ignoring signage or warnings of an approaching train not only puts those on tracks at risk, but also passengers and railway staff. I'd urge everyone, especially young people, to treat the railway with respect and never engage in dangerous behaviour like this.'
