Rail safety organisations have slammed a photography craze which has seen a rise in serious incidents on the railway lines in Wales.

Figures announced today, July 7, by Transport for Wales, Network Rail and British Transport Police (BTP) show 433 serious incidents have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic, with rail bosses warning that the increase in "rail selfies" is putting lives at risk.

Now, a new joint campaign by the three organisations is hoping to curb the trend ahead of the summer school holidays, they say.

Ronnie Gallagher, Route Level Crossing Manager at Network Rail said: "Our campaign has been designed to complement our priorities of risk management, education and enforcement ― all while encouraging people in Wales to consider the true cost of taking a risk at a level crossing.

"With an expected rise in staycations and holidays to Wales this summer, not to mention the imminent arrival of the school holidays, there has never been a more important time for us to launch a safety awareness campaign around level crossings.”

Centred around a hard-hitting film, the joint campaign illustrates some of the motives people cite for taking risks at level crossings whether to save time, show off in front of friends or take an ‘Instagrammable’ photograph. Highlighting the true, sometimes fatal, costs of these actions, the film tells the story of three shocking incidents on the tracks, all through the emotive power of poetry. What’s more, the poem is narrated by members of railway staff from the three organisations - each of whom have personal experience in dealing with near-misses and even fatal incidents at level crossings.

Jody Donnelly, train driver at Transport for Wales said: “Over the years, myself and many of my colleagues, from within station, driver and conductor roles, have had to deal with hundreds of frightening and sometimes tragic occurrences at level crossings.

"People seem to think that the worst won’t happen to them - but if you’re caught short at a level crossing, it simply isn’t true. Unlike cars, trains can take hundreds of metres to stop when travelling at top-speed, meaning that a decision to nip across the tracks can be fatal.

"I have no doubt that our campaign will help to save lives this summer, and with this, I hope it will allow myself and my team to rest a little easier knowing that despite rising social media trends, our customers are educated on the very real dangers of level crossings."

The film features as part of a Wales-wide advertising campaign this summer ― appearing across TikTok, Instagram and Spotify, complemented by youth-outreach presentations at schools and holiday parks ― with the aim of driving awareness among young people in Wales.

Richard Powell, Inspector at British Transport Police said: "Messing around on level crossings, including lingering to take photos, is illegal and extremely dangerous. You could be taken to court and face a £1,000 fine.

"Trains approach almost silently, so if you’re distracted, you won't notice until it’s too late. Take care around level crossings. No photograph is worth the risk to you or the consequences for your family and any bystanders."