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Friday 18 Sep 2026

Hull pupils become ‘safety ambassadors’ to help tackle annual spike in railway incidents

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Nearly 80 teenagers have been taking part in interactive safety sessions this week as Network Rail and industry partners hosted a special education event ahead of Hull Fair.

The Year 8 pupils from across Hull and the East Riding attended six activities across two locations, helping them stay safe when using trains and level crossings.

Held at Hull station and Hull Trains’ K2 Academy on 17 and 18 September, the event brought together Network Rail, Hull Trains, British Transport Police, TransPennine Express, Northern, Pets As Therapy and Railway Children to engage young people in memorable ways, with support from CAF Rail, CK Rail and the Yorkshire Coast and Lancashire Community Rail Partnership groups.

Students rotated through six interactive activities, including train simulator sessions, railway communications demonstrations, virtual reality experiences showing the dangers of the railway, advice on travelling safely by train, safeguarding workshops and careers activities highlighting the wide range of opportunities available within the rail industry.

The event was organised ahead of next month’s annual Hull Fair, which takes place close to Walton Street level crossing, a busy crossing on a major dual carriageway that experiences increased levels of trespass and misuse around fair time.

There have already been 24 safety incidents at the crossing so far since April – an increase of 85 per cent on the previous year and the highest of all crossings on the North and East route.

Common issues include pedestrians and cyclists becoming trapped within the barriers, trespass, red-light violations by road vehicles and barrier strikes. There have also been injuries caused by pedestrians crossing the dual carriageway over the anti-trespass “cattlegrid” surface.

Chloe Creffield, Network Rail community safety manager, said:

“Hull Fair is one of the largest events of its kind, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, which makes this the perfect time for our Rail Safety Ambassadors event.

“Working with our partners, we can provide practical, real-world safety advice, helping young people understand that one moment of distraction around the railway can have life-changing consequences.

“By giving students the knowledge, confidence and awareness to use the railway safely, we're helping to create a new generation of Rail Safety Ambassadors, while also inspiring young people to explore the wide range of rewarding careers available on the railway.”

Paul Jackson, head of customer and stakeholder engagement at Hull Trains, said:

“This is an incredibly important event that we're proud to take part in as part of our commitment to educating young people about rail safety. We particularly enjoyed welcoming a number of schools to our K2 Academy, the home of our state-of-the-art train simulator, giving them a real insight into the railways.

“In addition to this initiative, we also work closely with Rail Safe Friendly to educate thousands of young people across the country about rail safety in partnership with our sister company, Lumo. Working together with other rail operators and organisations is vital to spreading the message about this important topic.”

Following the event, students are encouraged to share what they have learned with friends and family through initiatives such as assemblies, leaflets, presentations and social media content ahead of Hull Fair.

Each young person who completes the programme will receive a Rail Safety Ambassador certificate, recognising their commitment to promoting rail safety within their school and community.