This is the moment a man narrowly avoided being hit by a train after he climbed over a level crossing barrier.
Shocking footage shows the moment the high-speed train missed him by seconds after he casually walked across the tracks.
Network Rail released the video of the man, wearing a dark hoodie and with a drawstring bag on his back, scaling the safety barriers in Oldbury, West Midlands.
He is seen strolling across the railway line seemingly without a care in the world as the train approaches – narrowly missing him by just four seconds.
The footage was recorded near Langley Green Train Station on April 27 and has prompted a warning from railway bosses.
The man, wearing a dark hoodie and with a drawstring bag on his back, scaled the safety barriers in Oldbury, West Midlands
He is seen strolling across the railway line seemingly without a care in the world as the train approaches
Only four seconds later the train hurtles over the lines where the man had been walking
Network Rail said it was just one of eight recorded instances of ‘level crossing misuse’ at that location since January this year alone.
There have been 74 such incidents across the whole West Midlands during that time.
The operator is urging locals to only ever cross at level crossings when the barriers are up and warning alarms aren’t sounding.
Natalie Stretton, head of operational risk for Network Rail’s Central route, said: ‘This footage at Langley Green is extremely disappointing and concerning.
‘Moments later and this could have led to tragedy, which doesn’t bear thinking about for the sake of a few minutes.
‘Despite the clear and obvious dangers of not using level crossings correctly, and all the work we do to educate people about how to use them, it seems people still want to risk their lives.
‘I can’t stress enough the importance of following the rules to help keep everyone safe.’
Network Rail’s warning comes after a similar heart-stopping moment was captured on camera at the crossing in Runcorn, Cheshire, in March.
Network Rail’s warning comes after a similar heart-stopping moment was captured on camera at the crossing in Runcorn, Cheshire, in March
The alarming video was captured by the train’s on board cameras and shows a man casually walking across the crossing.
The train, which was the London Euston to Glasgow service, was forced to come to an emergency stop so it did not hit the pedestrian.
According to Network Rail, the maximum speed for trains on that section of line is 125mph.
The crossing displays a red warning light when it is unsafe to cross, which the man ignored.
Another instance of an impatient pedestrian narrowly avoiding being hit by a train came at level crossing in Brimsdown, Enfield, in May 2020.
Another instance of an impatient pedestrian narrowly avoiding being hit by a train came at level crossing in Brimsdown, Enfield, in May 2020
Footage showed the man being missed ‘by less than a second’ and narrowly escaping with his life after he decided to ignore warnings and hop the barrier.
He took a glance over his shoulder and saw the train approaching but barely increased his pace as the 55mph train came roaring towards him.
The man suddenly realised how much danger he was in and quickly sped up, just as the train flashed past.
Seconds later, the barriers lifted up, indicating it was only then safe to cross.