Boy rescued from Edinburgh rail line after chasing his mum's train

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Edinburgh Evening News:

Boy rescued from Edinburgh rail line after chasing his mum^s train


The incident occurred at Wester Hailes Station. Picture: Google Maps

A four-year-old boy has been rescued from a railway line after apparently trying to chase his mother^s train after he got off without her at Wester Hailes Station in Edinburgh.

The youngster was spotted by the driver of a ScotRail train travelling in the opposite direction between Wester Hailes and Kingsknowe, which are a mile apart.

British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said the boy had got off the train at Wester Hailes on Thursday afternoon without his family. He was later was found on the tracks and picked up by the other driver.

Off-duty Police Scotland officers on that train took him to Kirknewton, where the boy was handed to other officers who reunited him with his mother at Wester Hailes.

ScotRail said the train driver, Martin McManus, had said: ^He was very lucky. I was very shocked seeing this small child. I saw the wee lad running along the track crying, so I stopped my train and made sure it was safe. I went out and picked him up and brought him back in. He was looking for his mummy and was just asking if his mummy was on the train.

^He was halfway between Kingsknowe and Wester Hailes station when I saw him. I haven^t a clue how he got off the train or ended up down there. It could have been really tragic so I was lucky I spotted him but it^s all just part of my job.^

Passenger Bonnie Nicolson praised Mr McManus by posting a picture of him on Facebook. She wrote: ^Here is the amazing train driver who saved a little boy^s life today when he noticed the little one on the tracks on the outskirts of Edinburgh & managed to stop the train on time. I was so traumatised I forgot to ask his name but what a hero.^

A BTP spokesman said: ^A four-year-old boy was found by a driver along the tracks. He was later taken to Wester Hailes and reunited with his family.^

A spokeswoman for the ScotRail Alliance, which includes track owner Network Rail, said: ^Our staff are trained to look out for vulnerable passengers, and on this occasion our driver took swift action to ensure the child^s safety.^

There is, inevitably, a rather more sensationalist version of this story in the Daily Mail. 

[grahame]

The Daily Mail's comment section got a little heated on the topic of "how come the boy was able to get off the train".

Topic continues for frequent poster members - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=16991.0

[grahame]

And to redress the balance ...

http://travel.aol.co.uk/2016/05/07/mums-horror-as-train-pulls-away-with-toddler-trapped-on-board/?

A panicked mum watched as a train pulled away from a station in Cambridge with her 22-month-old daughter on board.

Jasmin Stewart, 26, had taken her daughter Mia to the zoo at Shepreth with her partner when she got off the train and was holding the little girl's hand but the doors began to close.

The pair were separated and Jasmin frantically tried to open the door while passengers helped from the inside.

[John R]

If it's true that the mother and child's hands were separated by the doors closing then I suspect the driver may have some questions to answer. It should have been fairly obvious from the demeanour of the mother that something was amiss. Surely he has a responsibility once the doors are closed to check that everything is OK before starting off?

Would there be CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) that could be examined?

[ChrisB]

On the train, no doubt

[JayMac]

Shepreth station also has CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) controlled DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) equipment. Not sure if this is routinely recorded though.