CCTV footage captures the moment a pair of “reckless” moped riders narrowly escape being struck by a train travelling at 70mph.
The two riders ran a red light to dodge the barriers at a level crossing near Littlehampton, West Sussex on the afternoon of February 21.
In the clip, the rider is seen steering onto the wrong side of the road to avoid the first barrier before passing onto the tracks just moments ahead of the train.
The driver of the Southern service to Southampton was forced to make an emergency stop and compose himself following the incident, Network Rail said.
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s route director for Sussex, said: “We came very close to having two deaths on our railway last week and a train driver living with the memories of that.
“We try to make our network as safe as possible but we do need people to work with us by paying attention to red lights and barriers.
“We need to track these people down and make sure they know the consequences of their actions.”
Inspector Emma Boulton, of the British Transport Police, said: “Put simply – this is some of the most stupidly reckless behaviour on a level crossing I have seen in my entire career.
“These riders blatantly ignored the red light in front of them and were just split seconds away from a truly catastrophic collision, which I have no doubt would have had fatal consequences.
“This footage should serve as a very explicit reminder to everyone of the dangers of misusing level crossings.”
Samantha Facey, Southern’s Health, Safety and Security Director, said: “This video beggars belief. Today we could be talking about a double death with all the misery and heartache that would cause the bikers’ families and friends.”
“And think of our driver: no-one should have to be put through this trauma and none of our passengers should find themselves put at risk in this way.”
Ms Facey said that Southern had seen a rise in the number of young people trespassing on the railway and urged members of the public to keep away from the tracks.
Anyone with information about the incident can contact BTP by texting 61016 quoting log 411 of 21/02/23.
