8.1 Emergencies: Danger to Trains and Emergency Calls
Key Takeaways
You must make an emergency call to the signaller straight away if you see or are told about something that might be a danger to trains.
Report a passing train with a door not closed, an insecure load, a fire or hot axle box, no headlight or tail lamp, a red flag or light shown by the driver or guard, flashing headlights, or a continuous series of long horn blasts.
Start an emergency call with "This is an emergency call", make sure you are speaking to the right person, say who you are, what you do and where you are, describe the problem and say what action is needed.
Make sure the signaller or ECO repeats the information back, and give them your phone or radio number.
Whatever action you take to prevent death, injury or damage, do not put yourself in danger.
8.1 Emergencies: Danger to Trains and Emergency Calls
As someone who works on the railway, there are situations where you might have to take action to prevent death, injury or damage. The PTS handbook is clear about the limit: whatever you do, don't put yourself in danger. This section covers what counts as a danger to trains, what to report, and how to make an emergency call.
Danger to Trains
The PTS handbook says an emergency call must be made to the signaller straight away if you see, or are told about, something which might be a danger to trains.
Something Wrong with a Moving Train
HB1 section 7.6 and the PTS handbook list problems to report to the person in charge, the signaller or Operations Control:
| What you see or hear | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A door not closed properly or an insecure load | Could strike people or structures, or fall onto the line |
| A vehicle on fire or a hot axle box | Risk of fire spreading or a derailment |
| Headlight not lit, or tail lamp missing or not lit | Train harder to see; a missing tail lamp can mean part of the train has been left behind |
| The driver or guard showing a red handsignal (red flag or red light) | They need the train stopped or help |
| The train in distress warning: a continuous series of long blasts on the high or loud tone of the horn | The driver has an emergency |
| The hazard warning indicator: the train's headlights flashing | The driver is warning of danger ahead |
Other Hazards that Might Put Trains in Danger
HB1 section 8.1 and the PTS handbook add:
- a track defect, or a fault with the track;
- a flood, a fire or an obstruction;
- damage to structures or earthworks above or below the line;
- a colour light signal not showing an aspect, or any light out at an emergency indicator;
- a cow, bull or other large animal within the railway boundary, even if it is not an immediate danger, and any other animals on or near the line.
In any of these situations you might also need to stop the trains and call the emergency services. The signaller does not need to be told about an obstruction that you can remove safely.
Other Things You Must Report
HB1 section 7 also requires you to:
- keep access gates closed and locked, and report damaged fences or gates to the signaller or Operations Control after securing them if you can;
- report anyone you believe to be trespassing to the person in charge, the signaller or Operations Control;
- report a lineside fire immediately to the person in charge, the signaller or Operations Control;
- report any flowing or pooling water that might affect structures or earthworks immediately to the signaller or Operations Control, for example water rising from the track or cess, unusual pooling beside the track, or water flowing out of the sides of embankments or cuttings, and say whether the water appears to be displacing material.
Reporting an Accident (HB1 Section 6)
You must report an accident as quickly as possible to the person in charge, the signaller or Operations Control. First say "This is an emergency call", so that you get the immediate attention of the person you are speaking to. Give your name, the exact location and details of the accident, including whether any lines are or may be obstructed, and say which emergency services are needed. You must also report all accidents and near misses to your supervisor or manager.
HB1 Issue 9 (in force from 6 December 2025) added a section on reporting a dangerous goods incident, based on the instructions already in module G1, and retitled section 6 "Reporting an accident or dangerous goods incident". HB1 Issue 10, in force from 5 December 2026, adds a warning in section 7.8 that on-train balise reader antennae can emit potentially harmful electromagnetic fields; rolling stock fitted with them carries warning indications, and you must follow them.
Making an Emergency Call
When lives are in danger, time is short, pressure is high and accuracy is everything. The PTS handbook sets out how an emergency call should go:
- Get attention: "This is an emergency call."
- Make sure you are speaking to the right person, usually the signaller or the electrical control operator: "Is that the signaller?"
- Say who you are, what you do and where you are: "This is Mike Middleton, I'm a track chargeman for Network Rail, calling from Shapton East junction."
- Describe the problem: "I've found a member of the public lying in the four-foot of the Down Goods line, one hundred yards beyond sierra hotel one two zero signal. They're badly injured and I can't move them."
- Say what action is needed: "I need you to stop trains on the Down Goods line and arrange for an ambulance to attend."
- Make sure the other person repeats the information back. It is vital they fully understand it.
- The signaller or ECO will tell you what they have done, what will happen next and what they want you to do. Give them your phone or radio call number so they can contact you.
How to Reach the Signaller
- Use any lineside phone or signal post telephone (most go straight to the controlling signal box), or a mobile phone using the number given in your briefing. The PTS handbook says that to stop train movements on a line, a call must be made to the signaller using any lineside phone or a mobile phone.
- If you are using a phone in an area of limited clearance, remember that it may only be used in an emergency and only if no other communication is available.
- Ask for the emergency services you need, or ask the signaller to arrange them, and make sure they know where to meet you.
Your Priorities
1. Do not put yourself in danger
2. Stop the trains: emergency call, and protect the line if needed (section 8.2)
3. Get help: emergency services, ECO if electricity must be switched off
4. Help casualties only when it is safe to do so
- Do not run onto the line to help a casualty until trains have been stopped or the line has been protected. A train at 100 mph covers about 45 metres every second.
- If something requires the electricity to be switched off, also make an emergency call to the ECO (sections 4.3 and 5.3).
- When the emergency services arrive, tell them about the hazards, including any electrification and whether it has been switched off. If you are the person in charge in a conductor rail area, Handbook 17 requires you to tell the officer in charge of each emergency service about the conductor rail and which parts have been switched off.
- Do not disturb anything at an accident site unless it is necessary to save life or prevent further harm.
What must you say first when you contact the signaller to report an emergency?
"This is an emergency call"
"Priority safety message for track closure"
"Urgent operational broadcast from trackside"
"Hold all trains immediately on this route"
Which of these should you report to the signaller straight away as a possible danger to trains?
A passenger train running on time with its headlight lit
A passing train with a door not closed properly
A freight train with its tail lamp lit
A driver sounding the horn as the train approaches your group
A road vehicle crashes through the boundary fence and comes to rest across two running lines. What is your first priority?
Go straight to the vehicle to give first aid to the occupants
Photograph the scene for the police
Make sure you are safe and make an emergency call to the signaller to stop trains on the affected lines
Start clearing the broken fence and debris from the four-foot
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.