Reports of vandalism on rail lines made almost daily

Record numbers of obstructions stacked on tracks this year, and passing trains are regularly hit by flying stones

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A record number of reports of vandalism on railway lines have been made over the current year. By September, a total of more than 200 vandalism offences on moving trains, tracks, or traffic control systems were reported to Finnish Railways (VR). The number of crimes indicates an average rate of one offence every day.
     
In previous years, the numbers of acts of vandalism have stayed in the range of 150 to 200 per year.
      VR Safety Director Yrjö Poutiainen stresses that these figures include only acts of vandalism that cause a risk to the safety of the rail network. They do not include graffiti on carriages.
     
Typically, damage to trains is inflicted by vandals leaving obstructions on the track, including for example automobiles, bicycles and bike-racks, fridge-freezers, piles of stones, and even a fully-dressed tailor's dummy made to look like a person lying on the track. Moreover, stones are thrown at moving trains and the points and traffic control systems are destroyed on a regular basis.
      VR estimates that the current year is likely to be the worst ever in terms of railway vandalism.
      ”These acts of vandalism typically cause serious danger on railways in general. Such sabotage can seldom be regarded just as harmless mischief”, notes Safety Director Poutiainen.
      According to Poutiainen, the most problematic regions are the most densely-populated areas of Southern and Western Finland, with the highest number of travellers.
      For the time being, catastrophic accidents have been avoided, but trains, tracks, and equipment have been damaged with disturbing frequency.
     
In the near future, VR and the head of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior are to hold a meeting in order to discuss the issue. The aim is to find new ways to prevent vandalism and to create more effective methods in order to bring the criminals to account for their offences.
      So far, the most severe punishment has been imposed on two youths from Vammala who had left obstructions on the track in the autumn of 2004 and in the spring of 2005.
      The track section was then in daily use by 12 passenger trains and 26 freight trains with large amounts of poisonous and highly combustible substances.
     
The court was convinced that the youths had attempted to derail trains. The court handed down a suspended prison sentence of 18 months to the older of the two perpetrators, who had been 18 years old when the offence took place. His then 15-year-old mate was given a suspended sentence of 12 months.
      Last week, Helsingin Sanomat contacted the younger of these offenders in order to ask why they did what they did.
      ”It was just a whim. It’s all I can say”, he said and hung up.
      Safety Director Yrjö Poutiainen confirms that the perpetrators are usually young men or boys.
      ”Typically, it is just a stupid impulse thing. They do not realise how serious the consequences of such acts of vandalism can be”, he concludes.


Links:
  Finnish Railways (VR)
  Ministry of the Interior

Helsingin Sanomat