Iarnród Éireann has released footage of a man who seemingly came within one second of being hit by an express train as he crossed tracks at a station.
The video footage from a station camera shows a variety of people walking across the tracks at an unapproved point at Kilbarrack Railway Station in Dublin.
Those who cross the tracks include a young couple, a boy with a bicycle and a young man who picks up a push chair to carry it at head height from one platform, down a ramp, across the tracks and back up another ramp to the other platform.
The final scene shows a man at dusk walking with either an umbrella or a stick who crosses the line, avoiding the 140km/hr Belfast Enterprise express service by what Iarnród Éireann said is “a split second”.
Iarnród Éireann said its drivers observed more then 200 incidents of people trespassing on the railway tracks in 2016, and 32 occasions when drivers were forced to hit the brakes to avoid a casualty.
Other clips from the busy Kilbarrack station, which also serves the Dart, show trespassers crossing the track with bikes, and couples taking a short cut.
A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said walking across the tracks was trespassing and “any one of the 32 category one near misses around the network could have resulted in a tragic and needless death or catastrophic injuries.”
“A parent carrying a stroller who falls and hurts themselves or their child leaves the driver of the train in an impossible situation. Trains take considerable distances to come to a halt even at moderate speeds, and a train cannot swerve around a stricken trespasser,” said spokesman Barry Kenny.
“Furthermore, modern tracks and trains are a lot more silent and customers may not be aware they are approaching.
“Passengers have been seen crossing with headphones meaning their awareness will be dramatically reduced,” he said.
“This is more than just a warning to young people, and to their parents to ensure they know of the risks, though this is of course critically important. The footage from Kilbarrack - where we have installed platform end barriers to counteract the problem - shows trespassers are adults and children, and adults must show example and responsibility also”, Mr Kenny concluded.
