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New AI cameras installed to deter railway trespassers in Dingwall

News imageNetwork Rail Two adults walking along tracks with a child and a small white dog. The adult at the back is carrying their jacket, while the adult at the front is holding the child's hand. The child is holding the dog's lead.Network Rail
New safety measures have been installed following incidents last year

AI-powered safety cameras have been installed at level crossings described as being among the worst in Scotland for trespassing incidents.

Network Rail said people were using a railway bridge over the River Peffery in Dingwall as a shortcut between the town's Canal North and South level crossings.

The cameras can detect when a person leaves the designated path and sounds an audio warning, and sends live images to British Transport Police (BTP).

The system was set up after an average of five trespassing incidents a day were recorded in June last year, including two adults with a child and a small dog.

Network Rail said people were using the shortcut to reach a beach or to get to the town centre, rather than following a path and using the level crossings to cross the railway safely.

New signs have also been installed.

Rachel Shaw, head of operational safety at Network Rail in Scotland, said: "The railway is not a shortcut, trains can't stop quickly or swerve out of the way.

"What might seem like a quick decision can have devastating consequences, not just for the person involved but for their loved ones and railway staff too."

Shaw added: "We're urging everyone to use crossings properly and stay off the tracks."

News imageNetwork Rail Two people, their faces blobbed out, walk along a railway line. The person nearest the camera is wearing a thick red jacket over a padded jacket. There is a person behind them wearing a long jacket and walking a small brown dog.Network Rail
News imageNetwork Rail A black and white CCTV image show the railway line and a person carrying their dog along the tracks.Network Rail
British Transport Police said there were "worrying levels" of trespassing on a railway through Dingwall
On average there were five incidents a day in June last year at the town's Canal North and South level crossings

Insp Ashley Forbes, of BTP, said there were "worrying levels" of trespassing at the site.

He said: "Going onto the railway is illegal and extremely dangerous. Trains are quieter than people think and can't always stop in time."

Last month, Network Rail said a train was forced to make an emergency stop because a teenager was trespassing on a railway line in Inverness.

The youth only stepped clear of the tracks at South Kessock when the train was about 65ft (20m) away during the incident on 7 May.

Another youngster was also on the pedestrian crossing but moved out of the way when the train appeared.

Network Rail said it was the second dangerous trespassing incident on the same crossing in a week, as a group of five teenagers were spotted placing stones on the line on 30 April before returning to remove them.

While no trains were involved in the earlier incident, the firm said their behaviour was "extremely dangerous".

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