Danger warning after woman seen crossing railway

Transport firm Northern spoke out after an eyewitness described how a heavily-pregnant woman had climbed down off the platform at Meadowhall train station last Tuesday evening.

The witness, who asked not to be named, said the woman had been aiming to get to Rotherham Central but had missed her train.

“I explained to her that she would need to go get the tram, train or bus but instead of walking over the bridge from Platform 2 to Platform 1, she started to walk on the tracks,” said the witness.

“I shouted for her to stop and she refused.

“No-one on the other platform helped and she walked off without a care in the world.

“She seemed very drunk, as you could smell the alcohol a mile away.”

The witness described the track trespasser as appearing to be in her 20s, with red hair tied in a bun and freckles, and said she had been wearing a blue coat.

She said she was “grateful” that the pregnant woman had come to no harm but was angered by the incident.

“I felt a mixture of panic and anger that no-one else did anything,” the witness added.

“It was disgusting that the woman put herself and her unborn baby at risk just because she missed a train.

“I’m just thankful no train came through at the time.”

Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern Rail, warned of the “dangers” presented when taking to railway lines.

He said: “Crossing at points which aren’t designated and trespassing on the railway tracks can have devastating repercussions and we want to warn people not to put their lives at risk.

“Whilst our staff did not witness this particular event, we would remind everyone of the danger of this sort of activity.”