13 Jul 2021

Transport for Wales, Network Rail and the British Transport Police have teamed up for Rail Safety Week, visiting schools in repeat locations for trespass to teach children about how to stay safe on the railway.

Year 6 pupils in schools in Mountain Ash, Rhyl, Newport, Llandeilo and Bridgend took part in a talk with uniformed police community support officers, as well as activities led by Network Rail and Transport for Wales.

The organisations visited five schools, Our Lady's School in Mountain Ash, Christchurch Primary School in Rhyl, Oldcastle Primary School in Bridgend, Waunfawr Primary School in Crosskeys and Llandeilo Primary School, Llandeilo, over the two-week period and delivered activities with more than 315 pupils.

There were 13,215 railway trespass incidents reported across the UK in 2019/20. Trespass is a major issue across the rail network and people put themselves in serious risk of danger when they access rail property illegally. Furthermore, trespass is a significant contributor to delays on the train service.

Emily Coughlin, Community Safety Manager at Network Rail, Wales and Western, said: “Railway trespass has always been a serious safety concern, however since lockdown began more and more people are finding themselves in new places which has led to a rise in incidents.

"We hope that by educating children about railway safety before they start secondary school, they will make more informed decisions as they become more independent. The Rail Safety Olympics have been designed to drive home these important safety messages in a fun and engaging way that the children will remember.”

Transport for Wales, Network Rail and the British Transport Police are encouraging other primary schools to volunteer for the sessions, so that they can deliver more sessions with schools and teach more pupils how to stay safe on the railway.

Interested schools can get in touch at engagement@tfw.wales