A record number of West Yorkshire schoolchildren are being taught about the dangers of playing on the railway and how to stay safe when travelling by train as part of Leeds Station Safety Week.
Alarming latest figures show that across Network Rail’s North and East route, there have been 356 incidents involving young people dangerously using the railway since the beginning of April 2023 – almost one per day – with 130 of those happening in the Leeds area.
Network Rail has partnered with train operators and the British Transport Police to help educate a record-breaking 700 year 6 students on the dangers of hanging around railways.
Students from 15 schools, including in incident hotspot areas such as Leeds, Wakefield, and Bradford are taking part in interactive sessions focusing on different parts of railway safety.
Students have had the opportunity to use LNER’s train simulator to get a driver’s view of the railway, hear from BTP about the potential consequences of trespassing as well as getting up close to their vehicles and equipment, and, at Tuesday’s sessions, meeting their police dogs, and learn from Network Rail and TransPennine Express colleagues about how to safely navigate through a station.
Colleagues from Northern also held a session on one of their trains looking at how to safely travel on trains, including the opportunity for children to sit in the driver’s cab. CrossCountry and colleagues from the Leeds United Foundation attended on Tuesday and worked to deliver interactive sustainability activities.
Each student received a goody-bag filled with merchandise and reminders of what they had learnt during the sessions at the station.
Chloe Creffield, Community Safety Manager for Network Rail’s North & East route, said: “These sessions are a great way for Network Rail and its rail industry partners to engage with schoolchildren about railway safety and show that the railway is not a playground.
“This event has been running for a few years now and we have grown it every time. With 700 students throughout the week, we have smashed last year’s record of 550 by a huge amount!
“The safety of passengers, colleagues, and train crew is Network Rail’s top priority and it is always such a joy that we can deliver such vital awareness-raising campaigns to help maintain safety on the rail network.”
A spokesperson on behalf of LNER, Northern, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express and British Transport Police said: “We are delighted to be working together to raise awareness on the potential dangers of the railway. We are committed to making the railway an even safer place and we want to educate students on the importance of railway safety through our interactive sessions.”
British Transport Police want to remind passengers and the public if they see anything suspicious or concerning, they can any report incidents by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 or 999 in an emergency.
