The Yellow line

[umontu]

I have a brief question and would like to keep this tasteful and short.
The yellow lines on the platform edge, as a passenger seeing an approaching train I have ignored them and stood close to the edge in order to get to the doors just out of habit.
Does this kind of behaviour worry drivers and would I be scaring a driver if I stepped over the line as their cab passed?

Thank you

 

[scotsman]

Not a Driver, but I imagine it would only be of concern if they were passing the station or you were very close to the edge

 

[Wyvern]

Does this kind of behaviour worry drivers and would I be scaring a driver if I stepped over the line as their cab passed?

Yes it does and yes you would.

What if a gust of wind for instance blew your coat out so it caught on the train?

 

[umontu]

Yes it does and yes you would.

What if a gust of wind for instance blew your coat out so it caught on the train?

Hadn't thought about that, have to admit my local station doesn't get many gusts of wind but I see your point.

Thank you.

 

[Rugd1022]

It certainly worries me, on a daily basis sad to say. There are some stations on the routes I sign which are particularly bad for this, the Up Slow platform at Luton especially so, it's very narrow and on a sharp curve. Slogging through at full speed (55mph) with a 2,400 freight train it's frightening how close some passengers get to the edge, most of them are too busy with their ipods or mobile phones to even look up when I toot the horn. If they're wearing a ruck sack and turn round at the wrong moment they could easily get dragged under / between the wagons.... not a nice thought, yet so many of them just ignore the danger.

A few years back I had a close call at Bletchley when two young lads with bikes were playing silly beggars, I was passing through with some low sided open wagons at about 10mph, as I approached them they looked a bit shifty so I kept an eye on them out of my side window. As I looked back they were trying to push the front wheels of their bikes between each wagon as they passed them.... unbelievably stupid. The other passengers on the platform just looked the other way. Even though I was only crawling through they could still have been dragged under. Idiocy!

 

[Wyvern]

the Up Slow platform at Luton especially so, it's very narrow and on a sharp curve.

It worried me when I was standing on it!

 

[WestCoast]

I would certainly imagine it does.

The other day I saw a young child wandering across the yellow line towards the edge as a passing freight train neared, and although her mother picked up quickly when she spotted her child it must have worried the driver immensely.

 

[Aictos]

One thing which is scary is the resolve of some parents to push their pram/buggy out first from the train with the child inside rather then play it safe and have the adult step onto the platform first and reverse the buggy/pram off or ask for assistance.

The yellow line is there for a reason and it's not there to decorate the platform, so any staff is perfectly within their rights to ask passengers to move back from the platform edge and if the passenger then doesn't move then they have committed a offence under Section 12, Parts 1 and 2 which is:

12. Safety instructions

(1) An Operator may issue reasonable instructions relating to safety on any part of the railway by means of a notice on or near that part of the railway. No person shall, without good cause, disobey such notice.

(2) An authorised person may, in an emergency or in other circumstances in which he believes he should act in the interests of safety, issue instructions to any person on the railway. No person shall, without good cause, disobey such instructions.

 

[pendolino]

Yes it's scary. Not so much if you're coming to a halt, but passing through a station non-stop at speed with people too close to the edge does scare the willies out of me. Especially small children.

I was told recently of a occasion when a passenger was standing too close to the platform with his back to an approaching train. The train knocked his mobile phone out of his hand, he was that close.

 

[wintonian]

Of course at some smaller stations it is near impossible to walk along the platform without straddling the yellow line, standing there is fine but if anyone else comes along then to get round you that have to completely cross the line.

 

[jopsuk]

But that;'s not a problem as long as they don't do it whilst there's a train passing.
At Cambridge it is not uncommon for trains arriving into platform 1 or 4 (4 especially) to run along the other platform at some speed- the braking on networkers is pretty good, and from the south end of platform 1 there's a good 300-400m of braking zone (for the first carriage) left- plus, as it is a through platform, there's less speed restriction. Manual warnings to stand back are common, especially in the morning when people are waiting along the full lenght for a 12 car service. I'd be interested to know what the maximum speed a stopping train could still be going at the far end and still hit the mark.

 

[wintonian]

But that;'s not a problem as long as they don't do it whilst there's a train passing.
At Cambridge it is not uncommon for trains arriving into platform 1 or 4 (4 especially) to run along the other platform at some speed- the braking on networkers is pretty good, and from the south end of platform 1 there's a good 300-400m of braking zone (for the first carriage) left- plus, as it is a through platform, there's less speed restriction. Manual warnings to stand back are common, especially in the morning when people are waiting along the full lenght for a 12 car service. I'd be interested to know what the maximum speed a stopping train could still be going at the far end and still hit the mark.

Yes but there arn't any walk behind the yellow line when a train is passing signs.

 

[Aictos]

Of course at some smaller stations it is near impossible to walk along the platform without straddling the yellow line, standing there is fine but if anyone else comes along then to get round you that have to completely cross the line.

Watton at Stone is one such station but that's down to the fact that when BR and the local Council reopened the station, such like platforms as wintonian has said were put in.

 

[ChrisCooper]

I'm not sure if it's any better these days, but when Beeston had it's low platforms the yellow line was quite a way back. Because the station building on the up platform has regular walls perpendicular to the track, forming alcoves with seating, it was almost impossible to walk down the platform without crossing the line.

Remember though, yellow lines at stations are fairly new, particularly in the present context of keeping behind the yellow line at all times unless to board a train. They used to be only provided at stations where trains passed through at high speed, and at stations where trains regularly passed at lower but still considerable speeds (for example slow line platforms where freight passes) they would be much nearer the edge. These days almost every station seems to have a yellow line situated with no regard to the speed of train passing through.

I suppose from my point of view, doing much of my early trainspotting at Loughborough as a child, I quicky learned to respect the yellow line as the force of a HST passing at 100mph. With the announcment of a none stop train I took no encouragement to be standing as far from the platform edge as possible!

 

[Hydro]

IIRC the yellow line is to be placed the same distance from the nearest rail as dictated in the PTS handbook for a position of safety i.e. 4ft (1.25m) for linespeeds 100mph and under, and 6ft 6in (2.0m) for linespeeds over 100mph.

 

[umontu]

Thank you for the replies guys, I've already started standing back, though one of me verses everyother train user isn't much.

In relation to ChrisCooper's statements I have to say the station I travel to (Kirkham and Wesham) doesn't have any painted lines at all, though the fast lines are away from the platform, then again Kirkham and Wesham doesn't have much.

 

[TGV]

Have a look at this too if you're in any more doubt:

http://raib.gov.uk/latest_news/news_archive/news_archives_2007/070430_pn_huntingdon.cfm

 

[truckman060473]

I noticed at a recent visit, that Bristol Parkway has the platform so shallow on the westbound side that you are almost forced to walk past the yellow line when lots of passengers are waiting, if you want to walk down the platform. Not much space here when it was built because of the Stoke Gifford sidings so close behind.