We welcome rail enthusiasts and photographers on our stations. The following guidelines are designed to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable experience in the pursuit of your interest.
Before you enter the platform
When you arrive at a station, please let station staff know you are on the station. At major stations, such as London Marylebone, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Birmingham Moor Street, it may be necessary to inform the Duty Station Manager of your presence. At smaller stations you should ensure that you advise a member of the station staff of your activities. This will ensure that station staff are aware that you are on the station and they can go about their duties without concern as to your reasons for being there. You may require a platform ticket to allow access to platforms.
On the station platform
You should ensure you act safely and sensibly at all times. Please remember the following:
• Stay clear of the platform edge and behind the yellow lines (where they are provided) for safety reasons.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Do not trespass on to the tracks or any other area of the railway that is not available to passengers.
• Do not climb on to any structure or interfere with platform equipment.
• Ensure that you do not obstruct any signalling equipment or signs which are vital to the safe running of the railways.
• Avoid wearing anything which is similar in colour to safety clothing, such as high-visibility jackets, as this could cause confusion to drivers or other railway employees.
• Avoid congregating at busy areas of the platform (e.g. customer information points, departure screens, waiting areas, seating etc.) or where this may interfere with the duties of station staff.
• Please avoid the busy times at the stations: 0630 to 0930 and 1600 to 1900, Monday to Friday.
• We also kindly ask you take note of any unusual behaviour and activities and report anything suspicious to a member of staff or for more serious incidents, to the British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, dial 999. If the station you are at is unstaffed, please use the Help Point provided. Your presence at the station can be very helpful to us as extra "eyes and ears" and can be a positive security benefit.
Photography
• Do not use flash photography because it can distract train drivers and train despatch staff and so is potentially very dangerous.
• Do not take photographs of railway security related equipment such as CCTV cameras.
• If you are using tripod legs, these must be kept away from the platform edges and behind the yellow lines. A safe distance is considered to be at least 1.25 metres away from the platform edge. On busy stations, you may not be allowed to use a tripod because it could be a dangerous obstruction to passengers and you may be asked not to use one.
Railway Byelaws
To ensure ease of travel and safety on the railway system (which includes passengers, staff, property and equipment), the Byelaws must be observed by everyone. A copy of the Byelaws can be obtained here.
General
Train Operators must put safety of their passengers and staff first.
You may very occasionally be asked by station staff to move to another part of the station or to leave the station altogether. Station staff should be happy to explain why this is necessary and if you are travelling on by train they may advise you to remain in the normal waiting areas with other passengers. If this occurs, please follow their instructions with goodwill as staff have many things to consider including the safety and security of all passengers, and are authorised to use judgement in this regard.
Please print out a copy of these guidelines and take them with you when you are on the railway.
Thank you for reading and following these guidelines. We hope you find this information useful when you next visit a station.
