Rocks and scooter thrown at trains on 120mph line in ‘incredibly dangerous’ spate of attacks

Rocks and a scooter have been thrown at trains from a bridge above a 120mph railway line, an operator has said.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) said a train was damaged in the first recorded incident on 3 February when a large scooter was hurled off a pedestrian bridge near Loughborough station in Leicestershire.

Builders’ waste and masonry were dropped onto a track from the bridge – which connects Allsopp’s Lane with Little Moor Lane – and a rock was thrown at a train on 16 February.

Another object was thrown from the bridge, smashing a train’s windscreen, a day later.

The “incredibly dangerous” incidents impacted 21 services and caused more than three-and-a-half hours of delays, the operator said.

Danielle Clarke, EMR community safeguarding and security manager, said: “These acts are not pranks or a bit of harmless fun, but incredibly dangerous crimes that put customers and staff at serious risk of injury or worse.

“They also lead to trains being damaged, delayed, and services being cancelled.”

She said action was being taken to address the issue, and appealed to members of the public to report any similar incidents or suspicious behaviour on or around railways to British Transport Police.

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Dan Matthews, head of operations delivery at Network Rail, said: “These acts of vandalism not only put lives at serious risk but also cause significant disruption to our rail network.

“We work closely with train operators like EMR, and British Transport Police, to prevent such incidents and catch those responsible.”

He added: “The safety of passengers and railway staff is our top priority, and we will not tolerate actions that compromise this.”