As part of its drive to reduce customer accidents at stations and onboard trains during the festive period, Avanti West Coast is running a safety campaign that includes the launch of a new low-alcohol beer.

Named “Safety Thirst”, the beer is a pale ale with a strength of 0.5 per cent.

Avanti West Coast will stock it on its trains to encourage customers enjoying festivities to drink responsibly while travelling on the rail network.

Statistics show that accidents increased by 45 percent over the Christmas period, where intoxication was a possible factor.

The initiative is being backed by the UK’s leading alcohol charity, Drinkaware, and the Rail Safety and Standards Board.

This new initiative is the second phase of Avanti’s West Coast’s “Take care. Get there” campaign designed to help customers find their way around railway stations safely, which was launched in August.

In the first stage, Avanti’s West Coast personified parts of station buildings with bespoke artwork created with the help of behavioural scientist, Richard Shotton that highlighted how they improve safety.

Now, the focus is on the festive period when people use the train to travel to Christmas markets, for a night out, or to go shopping, and may want to enjoy a drink. The campaign highlights the dangers of consuming too much alcohol while travelling by train.

To promote the campaign, some Avanti West Coast colleagues formed a choir and sang reworked version of the song “Jingle Bells” where Safety Thirst focussed on safety messages.

Safety Thirst comes in a bold, vibrant can inspired by heritage railway wayfinding signage with the catchline: “Rail safety just got tasty”.

It is a limited-edition brew created in partnership with the Birmingham Brewing Company and and based on their award-winning low alcohol pale ale, Sober Brummie. The Birmingham Brewing Company is local to the West Coast Main Line.

Last year, Avanti West Coast achieved Safeguarding on Rail accreditation for its work with vulnerable people.

“We want the railway to be the transport of choice when people are heading out to enjoy themselves during the festive season and while our customers are out on the network, we want them to be safe too. 
“This time of year, our network is busier and our staff are on hand to help everyone get to their destination safely. The Safety Thirst campaign is a great reminder to drink responsibly to create a more enjoyable travel experience for everyone taking a journey with us as well as our colleagues.” 

Dave Whitehouse, Director of Safety, Security and Environment at Avanti West Coast