Sheffield parents urged to talk to their children about the dangers of trespassing on railways

Network Rail are asking parents and carers to remind their children to keep off the tracks as trespassing on the railway is dangerous and can have terrible consequences.

Last year, there were 27 recorded instances of youth trespass in Sheffield.

Allan Spence, head of public and passenger safety at Network Rail, which manages the nation’s railway infrastructure, said: “The Easter holidays are usually the start of the peak for railway trespass and with schools now closed for an extended period, I’m worried the railway will become an irresistible, but catastrophic playground for too many children.

“Each year, we see hundreds of people taking risks on and around the railway, resulting in tragic consequences and life-changing injuries.

“Please talk to your children, access our free school railway safety lessons and help us help save young people as we know all too well that that everyone loses when you step on the track.”

More than 13,500 trespass incidents occur on the rail network each year, a quarter of which involve youths.

Network Rail is asking parents to tell their children the railways are never safe because the rail network is never switched off and electricity powers the overhead cables 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are also asked to tell them the rail network does not go to sleep once the last passenger services have run as freight trains run throughout the night.

Furthermore, it is not possible to anticipate when the next train is due. The reduced number of passenger trains running on the network during the day will allow more freight services to operate during the daytime hours.

Network Rail and British Transport Police run a hard-hitting safety campaign – You Vs Train, which highlights the consequences of trespassing on the railway. The organisations are offering parents the opportunity to sign up for free online tutorials of the safety lessons, which are normally broadcast into schools via their educational partner LearnLive.

For details, see learnliveuk.com/trespass-awareness-week