A RECORD number of West Yorkshire schoolchildren have been taught about the dangers of playing on the railway and how to stay safe when travelling by train.

Alarming latest figures show that across Network Rail’s north and east route, there have been 356 incidents involving young people dangerously using the railway since the beginning of April last year – almost one per day.

At Network Rail we partnered with train operators and British Transport Police to help educate a record-breaking 700 Year 6 students on the dangers of hanging around railways.

Students took part in a week of interactive sessions focusing on different parts of railway safety.

Pupils had the opportunity to use LNER’s train simulator to get a driver’s view of the railway, hear from British Transport Police about the potential consequences of trespassing as well as getting up close to their vehicles and equipment, learned from Network Rail and TransPennine Express about how to safely navigate their way through a station, and colleagues from Northern held a session on one of their trains.

Each student received a goody-bag filled with merchandise and reminders of what they had learned during the sessions.

These sessions are a great way for Network Rail and its industry partners to engage with schoolchildren about railway safety and show that the railway is not a playground.

British Transport Police want to remind passengers and the public that if they see anything suspicious or concerning, they can any report incidents by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 or 999 in an emergency.

Chloe Creffield, community safety manager, Network Rail north and east route