Photography at Victoria Station - Hassled

bradkb

bradkb

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One Sunday while bored I went for a wonder, ended up in Victoria Station, got litterally a few clicks before a guard came over, told me to switch off and delete any photos as it was illegal, and if the police caught me they would confiscate my camera etc... The usual ill informed response.

Not up for a challenge I left, carried on with my day, but when I returned home I emailed Network Rail to see what their stance is on it, this is the response I got, may be handy for others thinking of clicking there.

"I am in receipt of the comments you submitted to the Network Rail Community Relations Unit recently regarding the taking of photographs on stations for your personal use. I was sorry to note your recent experience and as requested I would be pleased to outline the Network Rail policy for you.

The taking of photographs is permitted on Network Rail stations free of charge providing it is not for commercial use. Commercial ventures can be accommodated upon confirmation of appropriate fees for advertising material in brochures/magazines etc.

General photography of stations/trains is permitted as long as carried out in a safe manner and is not focused on potentially security related areas. Flash is not permitted in safety critical areas e.g. on/near operational platforms as it could distract train drivers/despatch staff attention. While general photography is accommodated we cannot permit close-up shots of individuals or members of staff carrying out their duties.

Anyone interested in taking photographs is always recommended to call in to the Station Reception (located by entrance to platform 2) and explain their requirements so we can sign them in as visitors and provide them with a general station safety briefing. This results in the photographer wearing a visitors ID pass which the Police/Train Company staff will recognise and therefore not usually query the operation taking place.

I hope this clarifies matters for you but should you have any further queries then please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Gary Fairchild
Station Support Officer
Network Rail
London Victoria"
 
Thanks for that, so you are allowed to take photos as long as it is for personal use?
 
just wondering if that is specific to that station and not generic for the rail network?
 
Went to St Pancras a few weeks ago and snapped away for ages in full view of transport police and other authorities, none of them batted an eyelid, mind you there were quite a few other people/passengers clicking away with their compacts because I suppose it was either the start or the end of their holidays being the Eurostar station.
 
Timc said:
Went to St Pancras a few weeks ago and snapped away for ages in full view of transport police and other authorities, none of them batted an eyelid, mind you there were quite a few other people/passengers clicking away with their compacts because I suppose it was either the start or the end of their holidays being the Eurostar station.
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What camera/lens were you using?
 
I spent a good few hours in St Pancras too with no hassle - I was using 350D with Grip and Sigma 10-20. If I had had my 70-200 with me then maybe I would have attracted some attention, who knows.
 
humm i'm going to St. Pancras tomorrow, as i'm off to Holland for a few days, although I've photographed it using my G9 P&S Camera, I've now got an SLR, will I have any problems?.. I'll look like a tourist anyways with my case and hand luggage!

cya Hannah
 
It is nice to see a body like National Rail being so reasonable.
 
I've photographed in St Pancras, Liverpool St and Paddington with no probs
maybe I'm just lucky! I tend to use it cautiously though! ;)
 
But not all stations are owned by Network Rail, in fact, few are? Would this make a difference, or is it OK as long as they are 'governed' by Network Rail.

Adam
 
^ Yeah, I thought Network Rail owned the tracks and that most of the stations were privately owned by the train operators, in which case they are perfectly entitled to stop you photographing.
 
sprog said:
^ Yeah, I thought Network Rail owned the tracks and that most of the stations were privately owned by the train operators, in which case they are perfectly entitled to stop you photographing.
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They might be entitled to stop you , but generally they won't stop you.

The rail industry as a whole welcomes photography. Here are a couple of extracts from the Guidelines for rail enthusiasts on the national rail web site:
Taking photographs on stations is permitted providing it is for personal use. For any commercial photography, prior permission must be sought from the appropriate train operator or, from Network Rail at their 17 major stations. On busy stations the use of a tripod may cause a dangerous obstruction to passengers and you may be asked not to use one. In addition, tripod legs must also be kept away from platform edges and behind the yellow lines. Flash photography on platforms is not allowed as it may distract the attention of train drivers and train despatch staff and is therefore a potential safety hazard. You are also not allowed to take photographs of security related equipment such as CCTV cameras.
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... and ...
At major stations please inform the Duty Station Manager of your presence. This will ensure that station staff are aware that you are on the station and they can go about their duties without concern as to your reasons for being there. At smaller stations you should ensure that you advise a member of the station staff of your activities.
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... and also ...
A key priority for Train Operators is to ensure the safety of their passengers and staff. You may very occasionally be asked by station staff to move to another part of the station or to leave the station altogether. Station staff should be happy to explain why this is necessary. If this occurs, please do so with goodwill as staff have many things to consider including the safety and security of all passengers and are authorised to use judgement in this regard.
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It seems pretty reasonable to me.

Network Rail manages 18 of the larger stations itself - list here - and the rest are managed by the local train operator. If you want to find out who manages a particular station, you can find out on the National Rail web site here.
 
I've taken loads of photos of trains at stations and never had a problem. Always try to make sure it looks obivious what I'm doing so no wrong impression can be gained.
 
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