Railway Tracks Are Not Playgrounds: A Call for Awareness and Responsibility

Karen Scheepers
Oct 1
4 min read

As a community, we share streets, schools, and public spaces. We also share the responsibility to keep ourselves, and especially our young people, safe. It’s easy to think of railway tracks as harmless shortcuts, quiet places for photos, or even daring spots for adventure. But the reality is stark: railway property is not just restricted by law, it is a zone of life-threatening danger.

When we talk about safety, it’s not just about rules on paper, it’s about protecting lives. Each of us has a role in ensuring that curiosity or carelessness does not end in tragedy.

The Physical Risks Nobody Can Escape

Trains do not stop for people

The most immediate threat is being struck by a train. Unlike cars, trains cannot swerve, and emergency braking takes enormous distance. A heavy freight train may need more than a kilometre to stop completely. By the time the driver sees someone on the tracks, it’s usually too late.

Adding to the danger, trains often look slower and sound quieter than they really are. Many modern locomotives are deceptively silent, making it almost impossible to judge their speed or distance accurately.

The invisible killer: Electrocution

Beyond the tracks lies another silent hazard, high-voltage electricity. Overhead railway cables can carry up to thousands of volts, strong enough to kill instantly. Even getting close to these lines, poles, or wires can be fatal. In some cases, people never touch the cable directly, the electrical current arcs across air or metal structures and claims their life in an instant.

Even survivors of electrocution can face lifelong injuries such as severe burns, amputations, or nerve and heart damage.

A Widespread Problem Across South Africa

Trespassing on railway property is not rare, it happens daily across the country. In Cape Town alone, between 2015 and 2018, 456 railway-related deaths were recorded. Of these, 330 were pedestrians struck by trains. At some hotspots, more than 300 people were seen trespassing in just 15 minutes.

The reality is that this is not “someone else’s problem.” It’s ours. These are our families, our schools, our neighbours, our communities.

The Law Is Clear: Trespassing Is a Crime

Railway land is private and protected by law. In South Africa, the Trespass Act 6 of 1959 makes it a criminal offence to enter or remain on any property without permission.

Penalty: a fine up to R2 000, or imprisonment for up to two years, or both.
Courts may also impose heavier fines under the Adjustment of Fines Act in serious cases.
In some cases, even suspended sentences or civil claims may follow - especially where damage to property or disruption of services occurred.

And now, change is coming. On 1 August 2025, the Railway Safety Act 30 of 2024 comes into force. This new law gives the Railway Safety Regulator greater powers to enforce safety, require security measures, and penalize violations more strictly. It signals a national determination to protect lives and property, but laws and enforcement alone cannot save us if people continue to take reckless risks.

The Human Cost: Trauma Beyond the Tracks

When someone dies or is injured on railway property, the pain radiates far beyond that individual.

Families live with grief that never leaves.
Communities carry the trauma, and classmates or peers are left shaken.
Rail staff who witness or drive through such incidents often suffer long-lasting psychological scars.
Society pays in disruptions, repair costs, and emergency responses.

These tragedies are preventable, and prevention starts with awareness.

What We Must Do Together

Authorities and Operators

Maintain fencing and barriers to prevent trespass.
Place clear warning signs in visible spots and multiple languages.
Deploy patrols, cameras, and community safety initiatives like Rail Enforcement Units.
Educate learners in schools, highlighting the dangers of tracks and electricity.

Communities and Individuals

Teach young people the reality: trains cannot stop, and power lines are always live.
Avoid crossing or walking on tracks. Always use designated footbridges or crossings.
Never climb trains, poles, or any railway structures.
Report broken fences, exposed cables, or unsafe areas to authorities.
Choose safe, creative spaces for photos or adventures, railway lines are not worth the risk.

Our Responsibility and Our Reminder

Young people may seek thrills, shortcuts or viral content, but the price can be fatal. The law is clear: trespassing is illegal, punishable, and dangerous. The new Railway Safety Act (from 1 August 2025) will empower regulators and operators to enforce compliance more strictly.

More than enforcement, education and consciousness are critical. Communities must understand that power lines do not sleep, trains do not swerve, and electricity does not wait. The loss of life from such acts is permanent, and the pain extends far beyond the individual, to families, peers, institutions, and society at large.

Sadly, Potchefstroom knows this pain all too well. In 2019, final-year student Arno Hollander was electrocuted after climbing onto a train carriage. In 2025, another 19-year-old student lost his life at the very same station in a similar tragedy.

Both deaths remind us: one moment of risk can lead to a lifetime of grief. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and our communities to treat railway property with the seriousness it demands.

#TheGoToGuy #RailwaySafety #StayOffTheTracks #SafetyFirst #NoShortcuts #RespectTheRails #YouthAwareness #Potchefstroom #CommunitySafety #ThinkBeforeYouCross #LifeMatters