Media centre

Friday 29 Aug 2014

Tours of Kintbury signal box prove popular with local residents

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Over 70 local residents took up the offer of a tour of Kintbury signal box, after Network Rail invited the community to the information events to find out more about how the railway works. The tours proved to be so popular that an extra one was organised to keep up with demand.

Crossing keepers Bill Veloz, Mick Lovell and Chris Lemaitre led the tours by explaining how the signalling and points system works to keep trains running safely and reliably. They also provided advice on how to use Kintbury level crossing correctly to help its users keep themselves and others safe.

Bill, who put forward the idea for the tours, said: “We were overwhelmed by the positive response we received and by the wide range of people who wanted to come along – it certainly wasn’t limited to just rail enthusiasts!”

The tours took place over six days in August and received very positive feedback from those who attended. Julia Dunn, a local resident, commented: “Very, very, interesting - learnt so much this evening about how the railway works - a great idea.” While another local resident, said: “A good chance to see first-hand behind the scenes of this vital unit and team of people”.

Bill continued: “As a company we are focused on promoting safety on and around the railway. Based on the positive feedback we received, I will definitely be recommending this as a good way of helping the public learn more about what we do to keep passengers safe every day, and what steps they can take to ensure their own safety.”