Passengers are being urged to avoid risk-taking behaviour around trains, trams and level crossings, with thousands of dangerous incidents occurring across the network each year.

New survey data released ahead of Rail Safety Week reveals some of the most common risky behaviours on public transport include standing too close to moving trains, walking across a level crossing while using a phone and walking through a level crossing when lights are flashing.

Pedestrians accounted for eight of the top 10 most frequent risky behaviours in the survey, but two of most common risks involved motorists dangerously overtaking trams.

Distractions like mobile phones continue to be a significant issue as well as passengers rushing to catch services. More than 380 slips, trips and falls were recorded on Melbourne’s train network in the past 12 months alone, with more than half of those resulting in injuries.

Metro’s CEO Raymond O’Flaherty said that people who don’t pay attention can end up on train tracks, which is incredibly dangerous and can cause significant trauma for Metro staff and the community, as well as unnecessary disruption for passengers.

“There is a yellow line on station platforms for a reason, it’s so you know where it’s safe to stand. We’re there to get you where you need to go, but we all need to be aware of our surroundings to make sure we can travel safely.”

Trespassing remains a common safety risk with more than 2800 incidents recorded across Melbourne’s train network last year – or almost eight per day.

Trespassers also cause significant disruptions on the network. One trespasser can delay thousands of passengers while operators check the line to ensure it is safe to resume services – with a trespasser in the City Loop delaying up to 50,000 people.

Over the past five years there has been a significant decrease in the number of trespassers at level crossings. In 2018, there were 218 near misses with pedestrians at level crossings. Last year this number dropped significantly to 120.