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Tuesday 15 Dec 2015

Football star Paul Scholes and Salford City FC help launch new schools rail safety initiative

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National

Salford City FC co-owner and former Manchester United and England superstar Paul Scholes has helped launch a new railway safety initiative which aims to cut the number of young people who are killed or injured after trespassing on the railway.

Over the past 10 years, more than 360 people have lost their lives while trespassing on the railway with almost half of these young people under 25. To help save lives and prevent traumatic and often life-changing injuries, Network Rail is teaming up with local professional or community sports clubs and schools across the country, to deliver a fun and engaging new programme teaching kids how to stay safe away around the railway.   

Class of ’92 legend Paul Scholes recently attended a session at Christ the King RC Primary School in Walkden, Manchester. The school is one of more than 100 that will take part in the ‘Tackling Track Safety’ programme which has been developed and is delivered by PDF Sports, a Manchester-based company with a track record in delivering sports education projects. They will target more than 100 schools across Britain in around a dozen trespass hotspot areas with the aim to reinforce the educational messages regularly through a person’s school life to discourage trespass and reduce the number of incidents. 

PDF Sports will also aim to work with Network Rail’s community safety teams and community groups across the country to deliver diversionary activities for teenagers and young adults in disadvantaged areas. These will range from setting up street games such as football or cricket to music, drama or art activities.

The primary school activities aimed at children aged 7-11 are spread over a six to eight week period. Fun and engaging PE sessions with coaches and players from local sports clubs reinforce the classroom-based learning about how to stay safe around the railway, including how to safely use level crossings, the dangers of electricity and the speed of trains.

Paul Scholes spoke about why Salford City FC wants to be involved in such projects. He said: “Our club is a big part of the community and we want to work with schools and Network Rail to help make young people aware of the injuries that can happen and the dangers of playing on the railway. It was great to see how football can help drive home those important safety messages and if Salford City FC can help prevent one more injury, then we’re winners all round.” 

Graham Hopkins, Network Rail director of safety, said: “Britain has the safest railway in Europe but still too many people lose their lives on the tracks. As the railway gets busier and we electrify more lines to improve services, we must work harder to keep young people safe by making them aware of the dangers that exist. Taking a short cut or messing around on the tracks can result in serious life-changing injuries or death.

“Together with PDF Sports we have developed a fantastic new curriculum-based programme which combines classroom learning and sports activities. We know that having superstars and coaches from clubs like Salford City FC helps inspire and engage the kids and really drives home the important safety messages which are designed to keep them safe.”

Notes to Editors:

• Over the past 10 years, more than 360 people have lost their lives while trespassing on the railway.
• 94 fatalities of young people aged 20 or under in past ten years.
• There were a further 68 fatalities of those aged 20-25 in the past ten years.
• Being struck by trains has accounted for 72% of all trespasser fatalities over the last 10 years. Electrocution has accounted for a further 17%, with falls from height accounting for 7% and people deliberately exiting trains during running, or falling from them while train-surfing, accounting for the remaining 4%.
• There were 22 fatalities to trespassers during 2014/15, the same figure as for 2013/14 and lowest in this reporting period. There were 869 trespass injuries in the same period.
• But 27% of fatalities in 2014/15 were by electric shock almost double the % in the previous year (14%).
• People commit trespass for a variety of reasons. For some, it may be convenience – taking a shortcut along the tracks, or walking the dog. For others, it may be a spur of the moment decision – for example if something has been mistakenly dropped from the platform edge. In other cases, such as playing ‘chicken’, there may be a thrill-seeking element to the behaviour.