Press release —
Rail operator issues CCTV featuring most common train station accidents ahead of summer travel surge
- Running for trains, jumping through train doors as they’re closing, and taking luggage on escalators are causing most accidents across GTR network
- Rail operator issues new CCTV footage to urge people to travel safely this summer
To mark Rail Safety Week (15 – 21 June), GTR is releasing new CCTV footage highlighting some of the most common accidents that happen on its network as the busy summer holiday period approaches.
Watch below: passenger attempts to board train as the doors are closing. This preventable behaviour is one of the most common causes of slips, trips and falls across GTR network.
With two people injured at train stations every day, GTR is encouraging passengers to remember simple safety advice - allow extra time for journeys, avoid running for trains, and use station lifts when travelling with luggage.
The warning comes as passenger numbers are on the rise, with GTR reporting that it recently saw a record 5.8 million passenger journeys made in a single week, up 12% year-on-year.
Gatwick Airport - a key destination for GTR - is expecting more than 13 million visitors to pass through its doors this summer*, and with the airport train station topping the list for highest number of accidents, the CCTV footage is a perfect reminder of what not to do when travelling by train this summer.
GTR’s top stations for accidents:
- Gatwick Airport
- Brighton
- East Croydon
- Victoria
- Clapham Junction
- Stevenage
- St Albans City
- Blackfriars
- Eastbourne
- Bedford
Stephen Barkby, Interim Health, Safety and Security Director at GTR, said: “One accident really is one too many, so we are always looking at ways to encourage people to follow important health and safety guidelines. With lots of new and different customers using our network this summer, we hope the CCTV footage reinforces the simple safety messages that are at the heart of our campaign. As stations become busier, we want everyone to enjoy a safe and stress-free journey, so please don’t run for trains, attempt to jump through a closing door, or take baggage and pushchairs on escalators.”
To bring its important safety messages to life in a new way this year, GTR launched its first-ever train safety video, Travel Safe with Diane Morgan, highlighting the everyday decisions that can lead to preventable accidents at stations. The operator is continuing to hero the video across its channels and has already seen a 7% drop in the number of accidents taking place across its network**. Watch the campaign video below.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
*Gatwick Airport saw more than 13 million passengers last summer (June, July, August). Across the whole of 2025, there were 43 million.
**Figures compared total number of accidents across GTR network from 1 January 2025 – 31 May 2025 against 1 January 2026 – 31 May 2026, with a 7% decrease Y0Y.
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GTR
GTR operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com