Media centre

Tuesday 14 Jun 2016

Stirling schoolkids get lesson in rail safety

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Hundreds of school children got a chance to find out more about staying safe around the railway when the Network Rail safety bus visited Cornton and Bridge of Allan primary schools.

Network Rail staff and British Transport Police spoke to pupils from P1 to P7 during the visits, which were designed to help them understand the dangers of trespassing on the railway.

Stirling’s MSP, Bruce Crawford, also attended the Cornton Primary School visit.

As part of the events, younger pupils were shown an informative safety cartoon, while older pupils watched a harder-hitting video showing the potentially life-threatening risks of playing on the tracks.

Pupils found out about how fast trains move, how long they take to stop and also about other dangers including being electrocuted by overhead power lines.

Primary six and seven pupils also got to see some of the safety equipment Network Rail staff must wear before they can go out on the operational railway and took part in a fun race to see which teams could don the gear fastest.

Lesley Anne Cain, of Network Rail, said: “The railway can be extremely dangerous and with trains travelling at high speed, and taking a long time to stop, anyone struck by one is likely to be killed or very badly injured.

“We work closely with British Transport Police to educate the public, especially children, on the dangers of misusing the railway.

“Making sure local communities understand rail safety is particularly important in areas where the railway is changing, such as through Stirling, where we have plans to electrify the line by 2019.”