Play Safe – Stay Safe. Keep off the Metro tracks.

That is the message that we would like to send out to our students over the school holidays.

The school holiday period is traditionally a time when Metro can see a rise in instances of trespass and Anti-Social Behaviour on the system, with restrictions lifted we would like to warn our students about the dangers of venturing on to the Metro tracks, and what may seem like harmless fun is in fact very serious and against the law.

We are not suggesting that students are taking risks or behaving inappropriately, children often don’t see the dangers that surround the railway. The lack of awareness of the dangers posed by the railway and the reality is a risk of being hit by 1,500 volts of electricity. The electricity on the railway is always on and always dangerous. Metro trains travel at speeds of up to 50mph and mainline trains much faster – and a train cannot swerve to miss someone in its path, so even if a driver can see a child, they cannot stop in time and they cannot change direction.

The railway is full of both obvious and hidden dangers.

It is vital we educate young people of the importance of railway safety –  how to act responsibly while they using public transport. What may seem like harmless fun is in fact extremely dangerous and could result in life changing injuries or death.

Can we also remind pupils to be aware of the dangers in the Bus Interchanges as buses need to reverse in these areas – always use the designated pathway and not to play in these areas.