OREANDA-NEWS. Cardiff school children have learned about the dangers of the railway as Network Rail presses ahead with the electrification of the South Wales Mainline – a critical part of its Railway Upgrade Plan to provide better, more reliable journeys for passengers across Britain.

Stephen Doughty MP joined the event to see Network Rail deliver key rail safety messages – including the potential dangers of an electrified railway – to Year 6 pupils from Mount Stuart primary school and Bryn Deri primary school.

The event, held in Boulders indoor climbing centre in Cardiff, was organised as part of the RESOLVEit Crucial Crew safety initiative and all primary schools in Cardiff were invited to attend.

Tracey Young, community safety manager for Network Rail Wales, said: “Britain has the safest railway in Europe but still too many people lose their lives on the tracks.

“As the railway gets busier and we electrify the South Wales Mainline to improve services, we must work harder to keep young people safe by making them aware of the dangers that exist. Taking a short cut or messing around on the tracks can result in serious life-changing injuries or death.

“We’re working closely with the RESOLVEit Crucial Crew team to drive home the important safety messages which are designed to keep young people safe.”

Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, said: “It was great to see the work Network Rail is doing with schools to help make young people aware of the dangers of playing on the railway.

“With electrification coming to Wales, it is really important to speak to children in an engaging way so they can really take on-board the safety messages.”

Over the past year, there have been 83 trespass incidents in Cardiff County, which is the second highest amount in the whole of Wales. By engaging with young people through the RESOLVEit Crucial Crew sessions, Network Rail hopes to see a significant shift in attitudes to railway safety.

About Network Rail

Network Rail owns, manages and develops Britain’s railway – the 20,000 miles of track, 40,000 bridges and viaducts, and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations (the largest of which we also run). In partnership with train operators we help people take more than 1.6bn journeys by rail every year - double the number of 1996 - and move hundreds of millions of tonnes of freight, saving almost 8m lorry journeys. We’re investing £38bn in the railway by 2019 to deliver more frequent, more reliable, safer services and brighter and better stations.