From Strategy to Action: Supporting Delivery of the Safer Railway Scheme
The new Safer Railway Scheme marks an important step forward for safety, security and safeguarding across the UK rail network.
Published by the Department for Transport, the scheme sets national standards for rail organisations operating on the UK rail network, helping them demonstrate how they are working with partners, including British Transport Police, to prevent crime, protect vulnerable people and support passengers and staff.
At its heart, the scheme recognises something simple but important: creating a safer railway is not the responsibility of one organisation alone. It depends on consistent partnership working between rail operators, policing, local authorities, charities, community groups, support services and the wider public.
The Safer Railway Scheme provides a clear framework for that shared responsibility:
✅ Be Aware
✅ Be Concerned
✅ Listen
✅ Reassure
✅ Report
These principles are easy to understand. The real challenge is delivering them consistently across a complex national rail environment, and being able to evidence what has been delivered, who has been reached, how people engaged, what support was accessed, and what changed as a result.
Delivery alone is not enough
Many organisations can communicate safety messages
Many can run campaigns
Many can engage passengers
But can they clearly demonstrate who they reached, how people engaged, what support was accessed and what action followed?
As the rail industry continues its focus on the Safer Railway Scheme, the ability to evidence delivery is becoming just as important as delivery itself. The scheme includes assessment criteria covering leadership, reportingand communications, responding to vulnerability and victims of crime, training, violence against women and girls, security, crime prevention and suicide prevention.
That means success cannot be measured only against having the right policies or campaigns in place. The true success is about showing that safety and safeguarding activity is visible, joined up, accessible and measurable:
Every guide viewed
Every campaign delivered
Every support service accessed
Every report submitted
Every engagement activity completed
Collectively, these create a measurable record of safeguarding, community engagement, passenger support and partnership working.
Why collaboration matters
The Safer Railway Scheme is built around a multi-agency approach, recognising that an effective response to vulnerability relies on collaboration between the rail industry, statutory partners and voluntary organisations.
That reflects the reality of passenger safety.
Someone feeling unsafe on a late-night journey may need reassurance from a rail operator, reporting information from British Transport Police, access to a support service, local safety information from a council, or trusted advice from a charity.
A vulnerable person at a station may need a trained member of staff, a clear escalation route, partnership intelligence and follow-up support.
A community affected by anti-social behaviour, harassment, violence against women and girls, hate crime or exploitation may need more than one campaign. It may need a shared approach that connects communication, prevention, reporting, safeguarding and support.
This is where imabi believes the Safer Railway Scheme presents a wider opportunity.
A shared national space for safer rail
At imabi, we have been exploring how a shared national partnership space could help organisations communicate, engage, support, report and evidence delivery against the objectives of the Safer Railway Scheme.
Not another app
Not another website
A practical way to turn strategy into visible action
imabi’s proposed National Safer Railway Partnership Space would bring together rail operators, British Transport Police, Network Rail, Rail Delivery Group, Community Rail Partnerships, local authorities, charities and support services in one connected environment. Each organisation could maintain its own identity, priorities and communications, while contributing to shared safety and safeguarding outcomes.
This would allow stakeholders to deliver national, regional and local safety messages, promote reporting routes, signpost support services, gather passenger feedback, run consultations, share campaigns and evidence engagement - all in one place.
Turning the five principles into practical delivery
The Safer Railway Scheme’s five-part message framework provides a strong foundation for passenger engagement and frontline safeguarding.
imabi can help turn each principle into practical, measurable activity:
Be Aware
Through guides, notices, campaigns and location-based communications, organisations can raise awareness of vulnerability, safeguarding concerns, crime prevention and risk factors across the network.Be Concerned
Through educational content and campaign activity, partners can encourage shared responsibility, helping passengers, staff and communities recognise when someone may need support.Listen
Through surveys, consultations, anonymous feedback and Your Voice-style engagement, organisations can move beyond one-way communication and better understand what passengers and communities are experiencing.Reassure
Through trusted information, safe space mapping, support services, journey-sharing tools and real-time messaging, organisations can help people feel more confident, connected and supported while travelling.Report
Through clear reporting routes, British Transport Police signposting, Crimestoppers integration and anonymous reporting options, organisations can encourage early reporting and strengthen intelligence-led safeguarding.
From activity to evidence
One of the most important opportunities is the ability to create a clearer audit trail of delivery.
The Safer Railway Scheme is designed to assess how organisations manage safety, security and safeguarding across their operations. Accreditation demonstrates a commitment to recognised standards of good practice and to making the railway safer for passengers and staff.
imabi can support that by helping organisations evidence:
Safety and safeguarding activity
Community engagement
Partnership working
Social value delivery
Passenger support
Reporting and feedback
Campaign delivery
Access to support services
Continuous improvement
Compliance and assurance