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Thursday 11 Jul 2024

School safety sessions delivered ahead of 25,000-volt electric wires going live

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Midlands

Network Rail has been reminding children that the railway is no playground in preparation for new overhead electric wires to be powered up between Kettering and Wigston.

25,000 volts will soon be running through 36km of newly installed overhead wires, which will power new trains in the future. Network Rail has visited three schools in recent weeks and delivered vital safety sessions to hundreds of children to warn them of the dangers that the railway can pose.

Britain’s railways are some of the safest in the world, but Network Rail’s message to school children has been that from Sunday 28 July the overhead wires will be ‘Always On!’ and that they can be deadly.

Safety assemblies have been delivered across Kettering at Millbrook Junior School, Barton Seagrave Primary School, and Rushton Primary School. Children have been warned about the dangers of trespassing, with trains through the area travelling at up to 125mph. This means it would take 20 football pitches to stop after an emergency brake has been applied.

Nationally, Network Rail launched Harrison’s Story as part of its ‘You vs Train’ campaign, which aims to highlight the dangers of trespassing to young people.

11-year-old Harrison Ballantyne tragically lost his life when he was electrocuted by overhead power cables after straying into a rail freight depot to retrieve a lost football. He was hit by 25,000 volts of electricity. There was nothing his friends or paramedics could do to save him. Harrison died at the scene.

Harrison didn’t touch an overhead wire when he died. Instead, he was the victim of electricity being able to jump up to 3m. Harrison’s story aims to educate people about the potentially lethal dangers of the railway.

Installing the overhead wires is part of the billion-pound Midland Main Line Upgrade which will deliver faster, greener, quieter journeys for passengers travelling between London and the East Midlands.

Hayley Manners, Network Rail’s community safety manager in the East Midlands, said: “The railway through Northamptonshire and Leicestershire is going through some big changes in the coming weeks and it is crucial that we teach children the importance of staying safe around it.

“The Midland Main Line is a major arterial route from Sheffield and Nottingham, through the East Midlands, and into London St Pancras, with hundreds of trains per day travelling through Kettering. Trespassing on the railway is incredibly dangerous, but there will soon be live electric wires overhead which adds an extra risk to people if they misuse the railway.

“Delivering these safety sessions is vital in helping Network Rail educate young people of the dangers that the railway can pose, and it was great to see how engaged students were.”

Danielle Warren, headteacher of Millbrook Junior School in Kettering, said: “We always welcome visitors who can share important safety measures to complement the vital work we do in school to keep our pupils safe and healthy. Network Rail’s presentation was informative and enjoyable and I want to thank them for visiting Millbrook Junior School and delivering such an important message.”

To find out more about staying safe after the Midland Main Line is electrified, visit: www.networkrail.co.uk/alwayson