With the exception of stations, railway infrastructures are not accessible to the public and it is forbidden to enter there. There are many risks: it is essential to be aware of them and to comply with the rules specific to each of our premises. With our awareness-raising campaigns, we hit hard to warn people who are particularly at risk.
Every year, there are more than 10,000 intrusions onto our railway lines. The reasons given for taking these risks are as varied as the people concerned. Such risky behaviour leads to fatal accidents every year.
Illegal intrusions and unsafe behaviour on railway property are punishable by a fine of €3,750 and six months' imprisonment (article L. 2242-4 of the French Transport Code).
By entering our lines, you expose yourself to three major risks: collision, electrocution and falls.
As it passes over the tracks, the train creates a vacuum that can suck you in and cause your death. Don't walk on or alongside the tracks, use the passageways specially designed for the public in stations to cross safely and avoid any dangerous behaviour.
A train parked in a station or on a siding is always powered by the catenary, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is dangerous and forbidden to go near a catenary: even without touching the cable, an electric arc can cause fatal electric shock.
Closed to the public, engineering structures (viaducts, bridges, tunnels) or apparently abandoned buildings present a mortal risk: damaged floors or structures, slides... can lead to a fatal fall.
We are relentless in our efforts to raise awareness among those most at risk. At the forefront: young people who take up challenges and displaced people who take refuge in our rights of way.
For more than twenty years, the SNCF Group has been taking action in schools to raise awareness among young people from CM1 to the last year of education. Volunteer staff teach them the main safety rules in and around the railway area, as well as how to behave in stations and on trains. Objective Prevent the risk of accidents and encourage good behaviour at an age when people are most tempted to take on "challenges" to impress their friends.
To raise awareness among young people, we also launched in 2022 a new shock campaign on their favourite platform, TikTok, with five passionate influencers. Lilou, world freerunning champion,Camille, dancer, Urbexploreur, Jo urbex and Juj'Urbex are all fans of urban exploration. For us, they simulated risk-taking on the tracks to raise awareness.
Deployed from 2018 to 2021, this vast prevention campaign carried out by the TBWA agency and supported by volunteers in schools, was already combating the phenomenon of intrusion that is widely visible on social networks. The virtual reality film "2h38", accompanied by its flyer, was shown to secondary school students all over France, via roadshows, festivals, cinema screenings and social networking sites.
The flow of displaced people fleeing their country of origin is a societal and political issue that falls within the remit of government services. However, we feel that it is our duty to take preventive action to protect these people from serious accidents that may occur in the vicinity of or on the railway tracks.
In the social commitment and major causes category, our campaigns have won awards that testify to the impact of our actions and encourage us to continue our prevention efforts.
Bien que sécurisés, les passages à niveau sont des points sensibles du réseau ferré. On y observe des prises de risque par les usagers de la route. Ces comportements sont la cause n° 1 des accidents.
Chaque année, des accidents mortels sont à déplorer en gare. Des accidents qui pourraient être évités en respectant les règles de sécurité.
C’est une réalité : sur le domaine ferroviaire, aux passages à niveau ou en gare, la quasi-totalité des accidents sont dus aux comportements des usagers. Mais ce n’est pas une fatalité ! Toutes nos actions de prévention et de sécurisation...
