There are lots of different parts that make up a standard piece of track. But we sometimes add extra features to keep trains – and you – as safe as possible.
It’s part of our mission to create a modern, efficient and above all safe railway for you and freight.
Better and safer tracks for more reliable journeys
Well-maintained and up-to-date tracks are vital to giving you better journeys. And balancing performance on our railway with safety is essential.
Our railway is one of the safest in Europe. A report by Industry body the Office of Rail and Road in 2022 ranked Britain as the first in the world for ‘whole society’ safety risk.
This measure combined the overall average of number fatalities and serious injuries across five risk categories for passenger, employee, level crossing user, trespasser, and other risks.
And we’re committed to staying one of Europe’s safest railways so sometimes we add and extra safety features to our tracks …
Check rails
Trains travelling around tight curves or moving through a set of switches and crossings – which allow trains to change lines – may look effortless.
But we can add an extra piece of track called a check rail if the curve is especially tight. This helps the train move safely around the curve. It keep trains on track, reducing rail wear and lowering the risk of derailments.
Guard rails
We do everything can to prevent a train from derailing. But we also must prepare for such an event to keep you and others as safe as possible.
So, we’ll sometimes place an extra piece of track – known as guard rails – in the small number of areas where the effect of derailment may be particularly severe. Guard rails help guide a derailed train and minimise the damage it could cause.
Trap points
Trap points – or catch points – are a type of switch added at specific locations to prevent unauthorised trains moving onto the mainline from sidings or branch lines.
We may also use them on steeper sections of the railway to help vehicles that have rolled away. We sometimes add them to track near a siding or a train depot, where the risk of a train accidentally rolling away and ending up on the main track is slightly higher.
Trap points are designed divert a train away from the mainline and into a mound of sand or gravel or a safety siding. In doing so, they effectively and safely move the train so it doesn’t cause an accident or interrupt your journey.
We’re doing everything we can to keep our railway and your trains as safe as possible. Safety features like these three are an important part of that work. See if you can spot one of them when you’re next on a train.
