Network Rail and the British Transport Police have launched a campaign in Kent, Essex and London to keep children and young people away from the Channel Tunnel high speed railway line.   A DVD about the dangers is to be shown to schools and youth groups.

Trains reach a speed of up to 186 mph on the 66 miles of the line, more than twice as fast as other rail services.   That works out at 262 feet per second, and means the trains will take about a minute to come to a complete standstill if they are travelling at maximum speed.    The DVD shows what would happen if someone were struck by one.     Trespassing on the line, like any other, is a criminal offence, but, more importantly, could result in death or serious injury.                                       

The action is probably necessary  -  railway lines do have an extraordinary fascination for children, but here’s a funny thing.

The line, which has been open since November 2007, runs through my part of the world, and our run-of-the-mill train service into London runs alongside it for a few miles.   When travelling into London myself, in all that time since November 2007, I have only once seen a train on that high speed line.