Leeds Station Safety Week on track to save lives

National World - LocalTV

Almost 900 children have been learning about railway safety as part of Leeds Station Safety Week, with figures showing trespassing incidents are on the rise.

Transcript

00:00My name is Chloe Crefield. I am the Community Safety Manager for the North and East Route of Network Rail.

00:06Now we host a Leeds Station Safety Week annually and we have timed it for when the students from primary schools,

00:15the Year 6 students, have just completed their SATs and they get a train trip into Leeds Station where they have several fun activities.

00:24They will learn how to make safe choices around the railway. Unfortunately, we have a lot of people who make the wrong choices

00:33and it can end up with disastrous results, even fatal results. And those, when they happen, they have a ripple effect

00:42on so many different lives, you just can't imagine. So them getting this education will hopefully, in a fun way,

00:51make sure that they're aware that there's more dangers than just a train coming.

00:56You can see everybody from all sorts of walks of life that actually have taken a rail career

01:01and they'll be escorting these students around and talking about what they do

01:06and what might be options for them, for them to consider about their careers.

01:10Last week, I took four kids off the track over in Kiefler. They got on through a fence from a public footpath.

01:17They went on there to grab some rocks off the railway and just throw into the river.

01:21So the danger is there. You've got a bridge over the river. The lines were electrified.

01:26So a risk of electrocution. And that even brought a train to a complete stop.

01:30The railway is here to be enjoyed by everyone. You know, it's here to be used safely.

01:35But just to get a message across to the children, you know, don't play on the railway. You know, it is dangerous.

01:41I've got their simulator, which we've opened up to all the children.

01:46And it's just been a fantastic response when you're getting a train from A to Z.

01:50There's a lot going on. And train driving is just one aspect of it.

01:53But it's really nice to be able to give them the opportunity to come on and have a go themselves.

01:58It's such a unique opportunity. As adults, we don't even get a chance to go on the simulators.

02:03So it's just showing them that and giving them an insight into what actually the job of a train driver is

02:08and the safety side of it. So showing them that a train can't just stop.

02:12It's really, like, interesting because I didn't expect it to have, like, so many buttons.

02:16And I couldn't understand, like, if he was a first learner to go on a train, it would be really confusing.

02:21All the important learning we've been doing, I would just keep focusing on that anytime I'm near a rail station.

02:27I visited one school and three weeks later, a youth of the age that I spoke to actually followed my

02:34instructions for when his mobile phone dropped on the railway tracks. And instead of jumping down to

02:40get it himself, we took the safe option of phoning 101. And I can't be guaranteed that it's because

02:47I spoke to him. But I'm going to take that one as a win and say that we probably saved his life

02:53because we've gone into his school. So that's, it feels very rewarding and feels like you make a difference.

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