Over 45,000 students have been provided with rail safety classes from East Midlands Railway (EMR).

These classes were produced and delivered by EMR and supported by Network Rail and Rail Safe Friendly, which also offer educational programs to young people.

EMR was supported by Community Rail Partners to organise programs around ‘Try the Train’ which included creating artwork for local stations, rail safety assemblies in local schools as well as school trips on trains themselves.

As part of Rail Safety Week which is taking place between the 24th and 30th of June, EMR is urging more schools to sign up to take part in the Rail Safety Pathway.

The scheme takes a tiered approach, providing schools with resources that help with teaching Rail Safety. These tiers are:

• Bronze Tier: Schools will receive Rail Safety Friendly (RSF) videos suitable for primary and secondary school students.
• Silver Tier: Interactive lessons featuring primary presentations, primary PE lessons, and secondary presentations. EMR activity books, railway safety pamphlets, and links to national resources will also be provided.
• Gold Tier: Schools can collaborate with Community Rail Partners and local station adopters to implement a longer-term scheme of work, including a curriculum-based program spanning six weeks, “Try the Train” familiarisation sessions, and artwork creation for the station. This tier will be led by EMR’s Community Engagement team and offers deeper engagement with rail safety education within the school community.

Do you know a school that would be interested? If so, visit here for more information and details on how to apply: https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/community-rail/rail-safety 

Working with Network Rail and Rail Safe Friendly, we are incredibly proud to have reached over 45,000 pupils with our rail safety classes.

“Educating young people about rail safety is crucial, and we are urging more schools to join us in promoting this vital issue.

“The Rail Safety Pathway offers comprehensive and engaging resources, and we are committed to working with schools and communities to ensure that everyone understands the importance of staying safe around the railway.

“We are excited to host our Rail Safety Week roadshows at Nottingham, Loughborough, and Sleaford stations to further promote rail safety. Please feel free to come along, collect some freebies and have a chat about how we keep people safe.”

Kaye Robinson, Community Engagement Manager at East Midlands Railway