Crossing the tracks at the railway station is playing with your life

In late summer of 2019, four young late-night revellers crossed several tracks at Zug railway station in the middle of the night – and were caught by the Zug police. They were all charged, and the prosecutor decreed that each of them must pay a fine of CHF 100. Added to this were the costs of CHF 100 for the penalty procedure. The verdict was based on Article 86 of the Swiss Railway Act. It says: "Anyone who intentionally enters the operating area of the railway without permission, drives on it or impairs it in any other way shall be punished by a fine."

This is the purely legal statement of a very reckless act. Crossing the railway tracks was playing with nothing less than their lives that night. According to police, the quartet crossed the rails at around 2.50 a.m. at night on a Sunday. The night express trains from Zurich to Lucerne and from Lucerne to Zurich cross at Zug railway station at just before 3 a.m. It’s perfectly possible that these trains could also arrive at Zug before the specified time. In this context, there was another penalty order based on an incident at Rotkreuz station, when a young adult was found smoking smoked in a waiting room. The verdict: The procedural costs and the fines also totalled CHF 200. The smoker was also playing with his life – but, unlike those crossing the tracks, the danger is not immediate.

A campaign is currently underway by the Federal Office of Transport and numerous transport companies in Switzerland. The prevention project www.happy-end.ch makes a general appeal to anyone using public spaces.

Even an incoming train has a very long braking distance.

Federal Office of Transport campaign

There is never a zero risk. In 2017, the federal government recorded 167 serious accidents in public transport that resulted in deaths, serious injuries or large amounts of property damage. 30 people died, 16 of them out of recklessness and thoughtlessness. There are other impressive figures on the website. For example, a passenger train travelling at 140 kilometres an hour needs around 750 metres to come to a complete stop.

Users of public transport are also in possible danger if they stand too close to the tracks in a railway station. Most trains stop in Zug according to the timetable, but there are always exceptions. Commuters who are lost in thought while listening to loud music on headphones or who are tapping away at their smartphones can be at risk. Train, tram or bus users are also required to keep a proper distance from the means of transport, to ensure that nobody falls onto the tracks through recklessness, balance problems or when there are crowds of people on the platforms, or could be caught in the suction caused by a passing train.

A warning is also issued to people who try to climb onto a freight wagon or the like. All the lines are electrified in Switzerland, so there’s is a risk that the catenary could be touched. It’s very dangerous to come too close to a catenary. The voltage on the contact wire is 15,000 volts in Switzerland. This is the 65 times greater than the voltage than comes from the household socket.

There are also certain rules for motorists when crossing level crossings. If the barriers are slowly lowering, you must not try to weave your way through under any circumstances. In addition, you must never stand between closed barriers. Red or orange flashing lights in front of a level crossing mean that you must stop immediately. Those who use common sense and follow the most important rules can travel safely on the road and with public transport. But if you behave like the track crossers mentioned at the beginning, you’ll have to hope for a lot of luck!