Why do these ‘commuters’ risk their lives train surfing?
VIDEO: The Canterbury-Bankstown area is home to the largest number of risk takers on Sydney’s rail lines, playing chicken with approaching trains or riding buffers and “train surfing”. Watch the CCTV of them in this report.
The Express
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THE Canterbury-Bankstown area is home to the largest number of risk takers on Sydney’s rail lines, playing chicken with approaching trains or riding buffers and “train surfing”.
Sydney Trains’ CCTV footage from local stations including Bankstown, Belmore, Campsie and Lakemba, shows people taking risks with their lives.
Fortunately, despite a number of incidents on the T3 Bankstown Line in recent years, no one has been injured or killed.
According to Sydney Trains CCTV footage, three people were seen travelling on the train buffers at both Campsie and Belmore stations. In addition two youth were also caught buffer riding at Canterbury and one at Bankstown stations.
CCTV footage even shows one man crossing the tracks at a station, just as the train pulls in, leaving Transport Minister Andrew Constance to call these risk taking “scary stuff”.
Sydney Trains said last year more than 110 people were ‘surfing’ trains across the NSW network, up from 43 people the year before.
“It only takes a train accelerating quickly or braking suddenly to shake someone onto the tracks,” Mr Constance said.
“If the fall itself doesn’t kill you, the next train coming along probably will.
“This is scary stuff. People need to realise they are dealing with a 400 tonne vehicle, the chances of surviving if something goes wrong are very, very low.
“Trespassing in the rail corridor or surfing the outside of the train is not only illegal, it’s also extremely dangerous and stupid behaviour.”
He said Sydney Trains conducted an exercise to see how long it takes a train to stop and the impact of a train hitting a person or an object. In the test, it took 325m for the train to come to a full stop.
“That’s more than three football fields in distance, that’s compared to a car which would likely take 128 metres to stop,” Mr Constance said.
“It only takes a train accelerating quickly or braking suddenly to shake someone onto the tracks.
“If the fall itself doesn’t kill you, the next train coming along probably will.”
Under controlled conditions, a train was filmed travelling at 100km/h before activating the emergency brakes.
Balloons and polystyrene boards were placed at around 160m, 190m and 225m to show the force of impact once the emergency brakes were applied.
“The message is it is not worth risking your life for a cheap thrill,” Mr Constance said.
Transport for NSW said they are working closely with Police Transport Command to target and deter reckless behaviour, and provide CCTV footage to help identify risk takers.
“Buffer riding is reckless and extremely dangerous,” a Sydney Trains spokesman said.
“It only takes a train accelerating quickly or to brake suddenly to shake someone from the buffers and on to the tracks.
“They risk being seriously injured or killed.”
The buffer is the part of the coupling system used in the older trains and could be also found at the back of a train. Train surfing means travelling outside a train, which is illegal.
Sydney Trains encourages anyone who witnesses buffer riding to report it to staff and Police immediately.”
The minimum fine for people caught trespassing is $400 but this can go up to $5,500.