Network Rail and British Transport Police have launched a campaign to tackle the rising number of sometimes fatal incidents on the railway, many of them at level crossings.

A total of 24 people lost their lives on the railway last year. The majority were trespassers, but five of the fatalities were at level crossings, bringing the total number of lives lost needlessly to a five-year high.

Nationally, pedestrians were involved in 457 of the 467 near misses with trains at level crossings last year.  Research by Network Rail has revealed that at least some of these incidents could have involved people who were distracted by mobile phones.

The industry is taking action in advance of the school summer holidays, when trespassing typically reaches an annual peak.

Two new safety films have been produced which are intended to give their audiences ‘a powerful emotional impact’ by showing the real consequences of hazardous behaviour through the experiences of those who witness the results.

One of the films explores the emotional impact on families when people have been badly injured on the railway, while the second features an NHS trauma specialist explaining the catastrophic injuries caused by getting hit by a train.

As well as the risk to lives, safety incidents can often delay trains, and Network Rail said that last year more than a million minutes of delays were caused in this way.

Paul Langley is head of security, crime and resilience at the Southern Region of Network Rail. He said: ‘Every fatality on the railway is a tragedy and the main focus of our work is to ensure that our railway is safe for staff, passengers, pedestrians and road users that come into contact with the network.

‘Unlike a human that can stop abruptly while walking, trains need the length of several football pitches to come to a stop. Only cross the railway at safe locations and, when doing so, remove all distractions so you can stop, look and listen. Only when you have determined that it is safe to cross, should you do so and you should cross the railway efficiently and safely.

‘The Southern Region is powered by the third rail and it is always on. If you come into contact with the electric rail it will hold you in its grip and cause death or severe injury.’

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