Iarnród Éireann has launched a rail safety education programme that will reach 150 schools across Ireland during its first year.
Scoil Choilm Community National School and Luttrellstown Community College have become the first schools in the country to achieve Rail Safe Friendly certification. The schools were recognised at a ceremony in Dublin attended by Seán Canney, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Iarnród Éireann chief executive Mary Considine and representatives from the transport, education and rail safety sectors.
Focus on high-risk locations
Rail Safe Friendly was developed by Learn Live to give primary and secondary pupils digital learning content about the risks of trespassing on or near railway infrastructure. Iarnród Éireann said the initial group of schools was selected using data from its Critical Incident Steering Group, with priority given to locations where trespass incidents pose the greatest risk.
Participating schools will be able to use the programme’s digital resources as they work towards certification. The lessons cover risks including trespassing on tracks, distraction at level crossings and contact with high-voltage overhead lines.
Since its international launch in March 2023, the programme has reached more than six million young people in over 18,000 schools, according to Learn Live.
Support from transport and education bodies
Canney said: “I extend my congratulations to Scoil Choilm Community National School and Luttrellstown Community College on becoming Ireland’s first Rail Safe Friendly schools. This programme helps young people understand the risks of trespassing on or near railway infrastructure and promotes safer behaviour, delivering these vital messages in an accessible and engaging way. I thank all involved and I look forward to seeing the programme reach more students and schools across the country.”
Considine said: “Rail Safe Friendly provides a practical and engaging way to help young people understand rail safety. Introducing this initiative demonstrates our continued commitment to and focus on safety and education. The schools with us today have shown the value early engagement with a programme such as this can bring, and we look forward to working with more schools and stakeholders across the country as we further develop the programme.”
Cathal Mangan, Iarnród Éireann’s chief civil engineer and infrastructure manager director designate, said the initiative would deliver “clear and age-appropriate safety messages directly into classrooms”.
Stuart Heaton, founder and managing director of Rail Safe Friendly, said the two schools’ certification was a major milestone for the programme in Ireland and that the partnership would help equip pupils with “life-saving knowledge”.
The launch was attended by representatives from Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the National Transport Authority, the Commission for Railway Regulation, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Transport, the Department of Education and the Department for Infrastructure Northern Ireland, alongside Iarnród Éireann staff, supply chain representatives and pupils from the two schools.