Moment youngsters risk their lives playing on railway tracks as trains speed past

Published: 12:41, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 12:50, 26 May 2026 This is the moment youngsters risk their lives playing on railway tracks as trains speed past. CCTV footage taken from a pedestrian crossing in Inverness, Scotland shows a train narrowly missing a group of children as they dance on the line, while another sees several reckless boys placing stones on the track. Around 30 trains pass through the crossing every day, reaching speeds of up to 50mph, and travel bosses are urging rail users to obey warning signs and never attempt to cross when a locomotive is approaching. One clip, released by Network Rail, shows the heart-stopping moment a driver is forced to slam the emergency brakes at the last second after spotting two teenagers loitering in the middle of the track. The train is seen travelling along the narrow one-lane track when the duo appear from the bushes on the left-hand side and stand in front of the oncoming vehicle. The driver presses the brakes but is only able to stop several moments after passing the crossing, avoiding the boys by a matter of feet. A separate angle of the incident, taken from a camera laid out on the ground on the opposite side of the crossing to where the teens emerged, shows just how close the train came to hitting them. The long train speeds by, obscuring the children from view, before moving out of shot to reveal the boys had somehow not been hit. This is the moment two youngsters risk their lives playing on railway tracks in Inverness, Scotland as a train speeds pass A driver is forced to slam the emergency brakes at the last second after spotting the teenagers loitering in the middle of the track The teenagers then stare calmly at the locomotive as it slows down even though they came within seconds of being killed. Taking one last look, one of the pair opens the gate to the crossing and leaves the scene, but not before the other appears to dance on the track one more time. Remarkably, no one was hit or injured during the close encounter, but rail officials warned the incident - which took place at around 1pm on May 7 - could have ended in tragedy. It came after a similar near-miss at the same crossing was caught on camera just a week earlier. CCTV footage taken from the ground-level camera shows a group of children loitering on the side of the railway at 8.11pm on April 30. One then rushes into the middle of the track and starts grabbing piles of stones before placing them on the track. He is quickly joined by three friends who start frantically doing the same thing, while a fifth member of the group walks slightly more slowly into the fray. All the while they can be heard shouting at each other with smatterings of laughter as they carry out the brazen practical joke. One-by-one they depart the track and sprint back to safety, with a member of the group screeching as they leave the crossing.  Two of the teenagers ended up returning to collect the stones from the track, according to Network Rail. Rachel Shaw, head of operational safety at Network Rail, said: 'Incidents like this are incredibly concerning. CCTV footage taken from the ground-level camera shows a group of children grabbing piles of stones before placing them on the track 'The railway is not a place to hang around with your friends. 'It's an operational environment with fast moving trains that can't swerve out the way or stop quickly. 'Ignoring the signage or warnings of an approaching train not only puts those on tracks at risk, but also passengers and railway staff. 'I'd urge everyone, especially young people, to treat the railway with respect and never engage in dangerous behaviour like this.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.