IN a video posted to YouTube by a Northern Irish train service two tunnel trespassers can be seen narrowly avoiding being hit by a train.
The footage was taken from a CCTV camera on the front of a Translink train as it entered a tunnel near Downhill, Co. Derry.
In the video, a lifeguard can be seen on the left of the train trying to alert the driver to the people in the tunnel, who appear to have wandered in there from a nearby beach when the train takes them by surprise.
The footage shows them panic and run into an alcove in the tunnel, disappearing just before the train reaches them.
Translink, which operates bus and rail travel across Northern Ireland, said pedestrians had taken some "serious risks" this year.
"Pedestrians have taken some serious risks on the rail network [...] between April and the end of August this year there were 304 recorded incidents of pedestrian trespass," a statement read.
Mark Atkinson, Head of Civil Engineering at Translink, said: “There are obviously serious risks associated with trespassing on the rail network - life changing injuries, or even death."
"Our trains travel at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour," he added, "and if a driver has to apply the emergency brakes, it will take two thirds of a mile for the train to stop.
"In other words, not even the fastest athlete on the planet could outrun a train," he added.
Mr Atkinson explained that while it may look like a shortcut to cross the tracks or a good place to play, "the risks are just not worth it."
Translink work closely with the PSNI neighbourhood policing teams around Northern Ireland to prosecute trespassers.
"We would appeal to parents, guardians and teachers to remind young people in their care to never use the tracks as a shortcut or a playground," Mr Atkinson said.
Luckily the trespassers in the video below only received a few minor scratches in their ordeal, according to Translink.
