Media centre

Wednesday 8 Mar 2017

Network Rail delivers important safety lessons to Torfaen school children

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

School children in Torfaen are learning about the dangers of the railway through interactive sessions hosted in association with Network Rail this week.

The sessions, organised as part of the ‘Crucial Crew’ safety initiative and held at Cwmbran TA Barracks, are being delivered to 933 pupils, from 24 primary schools across the county between Monday 27 February and Wednesday 8 March.

The schools were given the opportunity to receive the Network Rail presentation in English or Welsh language, with the Welsh option being taken by 3 Welsh language schools, over 2 days; Friday 3 March and Monday 6 March.

The dangers of misusing an electrified railway is being presented as an important safety message during the sessions, as work to electrify the South Wales Mainline continues as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

Stewart McIlroy, community safety manager at Network Rail said: “Britain has one of the safest railways in Europe but still too many people lose their lives on the tracks. The 'Crucial Crew' sessions we deliver are designed to be fun and interactive, as we want to make sure the young people are really engaged and take on board these extremely important rail safety messages.

“As the railway continues to gets busier we must continue to work even harder to keep young people safe by making them aware of the dangers that exist. We’re also pleased to be able to deliver the sessions through the medium of Welsh, allowing us to reach an even higher volume of children.”

Since May 2016, 13,042 school pupils across Wales have had the Network Rail safety talk, as part of Crucial Crew. Network Rail is keen to deliver the session to schools with close proximity to the South Wales Mainline – running through Monmouthshire, Newport and Cardiff – in advance of the railway being electrified to Cardiff by 2019.

As well as holding safety campaigns at schools, Network Rail encourages parents and families everywhere to help warn and protect teenagers and children about the risks of trespass on the railway and raise awareness of electrified lines, level crossings and railway safety.

Notes to Editors:

Crucial Crew is a multi-agency event delivering life-saving safety and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) workshops to 10-12 year olds across Wales led by RESOLVEit.

RESOLVEit provides training and workshops in how to stay safe and specialise in using personal safety to engage, teach life skills and develop strategies to cope with challenging situations.