Earlier this week, schoolchildren from the West Midlands visited a unique indoor village educational centre, the Safeside Centre, to learn about staying safe on the railway.

The visit was part of Rail Safety Week, and organised by the West Midlands Fire Service in partnership with train operator Avanti West Coast.

Representatives from Avanti West Coast were there to explain to the children how to stay safe on and around the railway.

The Safeside Centre has a dedicated rail section, and on this latest visit, over 140 school children were given essential tips on how to stay safe on the railway.

Located in Birmingham, next door to the headquarters of the West Midlands Fire Service, the Safeside Centre is a controlled environment where the basics of everyday safety are taught to children, young people, and adults.

The centre has several specialist areas, including a bank, bus, road, shop, canal, and railway line, which has a full-size Class 117 train as a teaching aid.

The centre hosts a variety of programmes, all run by the West Midlands Fire Service, specifically designed for different audiences, and based on real-life scenarios, such as preparing primary school children for travelling to secondary school.

Rail Safety Week, which started last Monday, 15th June, is an initiative being run throughout the UK railway industry to highlight railway safety.

In particular, it focuses on engaging with young people to tell them about the risks around railway lines, trains, and overhead wires, and promotes safer behaviour.

During the last year on the Avanti West Coast network, over 30 incidents of trespassing on railway lines were reported involving young people under 18.

By working with the West Midlands Fire Service, Avanti West Coast is continuing its commitment to raise awareness of rail safety amongst young people.

In 2024, a Rail Safe Friendly programme was established to educate children across schools in the UK. Last year, Avanti West Coast was recognised for its efforts as part of this programme.

In March this year, train operator Govia Thameslink Railway released a film about safety on the railway, after around 800 preventable injuries were reported across its network each year.

“Every child should be given the knowledge to act safely around the railway, and for this year’s Rail Safety Week, I was delighted to be able to represent Avanti West Coast at the West Midlands Fire Service’s highly impressive Safeside centre. Working alongside the fire service, they share in Avanti’s passion for safety and to ensure that the education of safe behaviours is essential for young people.”

David Savage, from Community Rail Lancashire, who leads Avanti West Coast’s school engagement programmes