Learn How to Stop a Train in an Emergency

Improving worker safety on and near the railway track is a valid and ongoing concern, and there are personal track safety, or pts, courses to address it. The most common dangers of working on the line include hearing or seeing a train approaching when it is too late, being run over by a train or other rail vehicle, and getting electrocuted, for example, when working on a power source. Click here to know more.

Training is offered throughout the United Kingdom, and the pts certificate is valid for 2 years. One of the lessons covered during pts training is learning how to deal with any of the many emergency situations that are likely to occur on the line. Often, safety on the line refers to both, the worker and the train, its driver and passengers.

Making an emergency stop

To exemplify, a rail worker may see or learn of a potential danger to a train, such as a large animal on the line, or a door that is open or not closed properly on a moving train. In the former scenario, the worker can try to attempt to remove the animal, but only if he can do this safely. If not, he may need to stop the train; the same goes for the second scenario with the open door. During the day, trains can be stopped with a danger hand signal by raising both arms above the head, and the worker can also hold out a red flag. At night, the worker must either shine a red light, or wave a light of any other color.