To coincide with Network Rail Scotland‘s annual spring safety campaign, it has extended its education partnership with Netball Scotland in an effort to spread vital messages to young people throughout Scotland about the importance of staying safe on and around the railway.

The partnership between Network Rail Scotland and Netball Scotland began in the autumn of 2021 with the aim of spreading Network Rail Scotland’s safety campaign more widely within schools and at trespass hotspots and locations of concern.

The two organisations will now work together for the next three years to educate young people across the country about the importance of staying safe while travelling on the railway when they travel to school and netball competitions.

In the three years of the previous partnership, the safety campaign received 9,582 views on social media and reached out to almost 1,000 young girls in 42 schools and five netball camps.

By the end of the new three-year partnership in 2026 Network Rail Scotland aims to get its safety message across to at least 2,000 more young people, both boys and girls.

The safety programme will be delivered digitally and comprises eight modules that relate to personal safety and mental health.

They will provide the flexibility and scope to tailor them for teaching different year groups about the importance of staying safe on and around the railway.

The Office of Rail and Road recently entered a partnership with Rail Safe Friendly to send a message to children about the dangers of trespassing on the railway.

We’re really proud to be launching this new three-year partnership with Netball Scotland.

Safety on and around the railway is our priority and education is key to help shape behaviours and raise awareness of the dangers of trespass.

By continuing our work with Netball Scotland, we’ll help young people improve their netball skills while delivering important and life-saving rail safety messages.

While the partnership is renewed, our message remains simple – stay safe, stay off the tracks

Ross Moran, Route Director for Network Rail Scotland

We are delighted to join forces in a game-changing partnership, uniting the court and the railway tracks in a mission of safety and empowerment.

Through netball, this innovative approach aims to educate and inspire our young people on the crucial importance of staying safe near railways and learning key health improvement messages.

By leveraging the universal language of sport, we not only score points on the court but also deliver life-saving lessons off it.

Through our collaboration, we are shaping safer communities and brighter futures.

Carol Harvey, Director of Development for Netball Scotland