Rail users in the south-east can now make an anonymous report through a new web app if they think someone might be at risk near a railway.

A quick report through the Rail505.com app, which is currently being trialled until August, could be the subtle tip-off that saves someone’s life.

Network Rail’s programme manager Ian Stevens labelled his passengers as ‘the eyes and ears of the railway’.

“It could be that someone has been sitting on a platform for a long time, appears distressed or looks to be too close to the tracks,” explained Mr Stevens, who adopted a better-safe-than-sorry approach, saying that he’d rather have a false alarm than miss something that could have saved a life.

It takes less than a couple of minutes to send a report through Rail505.com with no registration or personal details required.

Network Rail stresses that the service is not to be used in an emergency, with passengers urged to approach a member of staff in the first instance, or dial 999 if they feel the situation is particularly urgent.

The service will be operated by Southeastern across parts of south-east London and Kent until August 5th.

At the end of the pilot, Network Rail will evaluate the number of reports received, and how effective they were. If successful, the system will remain in place and could trigger further trials elsewhere in the country.