Stop, look, listen: Network Rail launches summer safety sessions in Beds, Herts & Bucks this week: Bow Brickhill

Monday 30 Jun 2025

Stop, look, listen: Network Rail launches summer safety sessions in Beds, Herts & Bucks this week

Region & Route:
North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South

Staff from Network Rail will be visiting level crossings across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire this week to speak with communities and raise awareness about railway safety ahead of the school summer holidays.

Between April 2017 and June 2025, there were 399 counts of level crossing misuse between London Euston station and Crewe on Network Rail’s West Coast South route. Berry Lane level crossing in Milton Keynes saw the highest number of misuse incidents, with 142 being recorded.

There have also been 23 occasions of ‘near misses’ involving a person and a train, including young people and members of the public walking dogs.

Ahead of schools closing for the summer, planned events aim to raise awareness about level crossing safety and encourage safe behaviour from pedestrians and drivers to prevent misuse and incidents from occurring.

Local people are being encouraged to join our team at one of the events to learn more about railway safety, as well as the impacts of disruption caused by trespass and vandalism incidents.

Between Wednesday 2 July and Friday 4 July, our teams will be at the following locations:

📍 Cotton Mill level crossing, St Albans: 8am – 12.30pm on Wednesday 2 July

📍 Kempston Hardwick level crossing, Bedfordshire: 9am – 12pm on Thursday 3 July

📍 Woburn Sands level crossing, Buckinghamshire: 1pm – 3pm on Thursday 3 July

📍 Bow Brickhill level crossing, Milton Keynes: 9am – 12pm on Friday 4 July

📍 Berry Lane level crossing, Milton Keynes: 1pm – 2pm on Friday 4 July

Johnny Amadi-Ahuama, level crossing manager for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “Our events aim to help educate local people about the importance of patience, safety signals, and avoiding distractions when approaching and using level crossings. Throughout the week, informative materials and guidance will be provided to encourage motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike to approach every crossing with care.

“With the schools summer holidays fast approaching, we want to emphasise the value of looking, listening, and being prepared to stop, as well as the role each person plays in preventing accidents and saving lives.”

Network Rail works closely with British Transport Police, local councils, and other stakeholders to continually raise awareness of the dangers of misusing crossings and educate the public on how to stay safe near the railway.

To learn more about level crossing safety, visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/level-crossing-safety/

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk