The train carriage manufacturer Alstom and FGH Security report a first year as two of the partners of Rail Safe Friendly (RSF). They’ve reached 45 schools, spreading the message of rail safety to thousands of young people, and generating over ยฃ700,000 in social value.
The Rail Safe Friendly Programme also educates in the UK through their Learn Live news channel. The aim; to have every school in the UK enrolled on the programme by 2027. In the planning stages of the project, outreach areas were determined by identifying Alstom sites across the UK that use high voltage line equipment and possess the highest risk of trespassing. The outreach was aimed at schools around such sites in Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Greater Manchester, London and Knottingley.
From February 2025 to February 2026, 45 schools were reached, generating 24,612 views of the educational content. Fourย schools achieved their Silver Certification by sharing with parents and carers, helping to distribute the message with the wider community, and engaging with another school about the scheme. An assembly at Lodge Farm School on February 24 was delivered by Peter Harrison (Managing Director, FGH Security, pictured right), alongside Matt Hull (Head of Security, UK and Ireland for Alstom) and Ashley Lowe (Security Manager, UK and Ireland, Alstom), with the aim of the school achieving its Gold Certificate.
In fact two in-person assemblies at Lodge Farm School were for Key Stages 1 and 2 children. After the age-appropriate assemblies, a year one pupil shared โI learned you’ve got to stay behind the yellow lineโ while a year six (11-year-old) pupil shared โI found out that electric can jump from the railway and it’s always activeโ.
Prevention
Matt Hull from Alstom said afterwards: โEvery piece of work we do around railway safety makes a difference. Education and engagement with young people are vital, and as a key part of the UKโs rail infrastructure, Alstom is proud to work with our security partners to deliver sessions like this. These opportunities allow us to promote safe behaviours, raise awareness, and help young people understand their role in keeping the railway safe.”
And Peter Harrison, FGH MD and company founder, added: โLike much of the work we do in safety and security, we never get to find out how many accidents we prevent. If our initiative prevents just one child from having trespassed onto the railway, then it has paid for itself a thousand times over. Thank you to Alstom and RSF for the great teamwork.โ
Building on the first year, Alstom and FGH Security have renewed their partnership with Rail Safe Friendly, with the aim to support 50 more schools over the next 12 months.
About FGH
Founded in Lancaster, the SIA-approved contractor offers security and crowd management across guarding, events, door supervision and stewarding, working with such high street brands as adidas, and JD Group, and summer outdoor festivals such as Glastonbury, besides Alstom and Liverpool Football Club. FGH Security operates from offices in Lancaster, Manchester, London and Liverpool. Visit www.fghsecurity.co.uk.
About Rail Safe
It shows in the words of Stuart Heaton, Managing Director, ‘collective commitment of the rail industry to making railway safety education accessible to young people’. Other guarding firms that partner with the programme include Land Sheriffs, Mitie, Amulet and Carlisle Support Services. Visit https://www.railsafefriendly.com/. See also the Rail Safety and Standards Board website, and the ‘You versus train‘ safety campaign on the British Transport Police website.
