You vs. Train

We have joined with Network Rail and rail industry partners to encourage people to consider the serious and devastating consequences, for them and their loved ones, when they ignore warnings and go onto the railway. 

You vs. Train builds on our work to get the rail safety message across to children and young people, especially during the school holidays when more youngsters risk their lives by trespassing on the train lines, unaware of the dangers.

The campaign launched with the story of Tom Hubbard – a young boy who suffered life-changing injuries in 2014 when he was electrocuted by overhead power cables. Tom suffered third degree burns across 57% of his body and has been dealing with the serious physical and psychological consequences ever since.

In 2022, a new film launched. Harrison’s Story tells the story of 11-year-old Harrison Ballantyne, who tragically lost his life when he was electrocuted by overhead power cables after straying into a rail freight depot to retrieve a lost football. He was hit by 25,000 volts of electricity. There was nothing his friends or paramedics could do to save him. Harrison died at the scene.

Harrison lived in a small village, not served by a railway station. His mother, Liz Ballantyne, said: “I had never realised that I needed to educate my children about the dangers of the railway as I never realised how close the railway was.”

Drew Ballantyne, Harrison’s father added: “Harrison didn’t touch the overhead power cables on that day. I didn’t know that electricity could jump and arc, and I doubt that he did either.”

Additional films, titled ‘Parallel Lines’ and ‘Shattered Lives’, show the impact of trespass on the wider community. They remind people that, even if they’re lucky enough to escape uninjured, their actions have consequences.

How you can support You vs. Train

The campaign includes a website, graphics and a consistent set of messages used by all partners for maximum impact in order to raise awareness of the dangers of the railway environment and reduce trespass incidents. 

Visit the campaign website www.youvstrain.co.uk/ to download the resources that have been created to use in schools and within your community to help communicate the importance of rail safety to students and ‘at risk’ groups across Great Britain.