National Express East Anglia Launches Safer Travel Scheme

National Express East Anglia has introduced a ‘Safer Travel’ scheme for customers travelling on their Metro route services between Shenfield and Maryland, where trains call at stations including Romford and Ilford. The train operator has employed a team of new ‘Safer Travel’ officers to patrol trains between these destinations.

The new officers will wear head cams which they can operate to provide footage rather like CCTV coverage. The new team will focus on the enforcement of Railway Byelaws with a view to curbing anti-social behaviour, fare evasion and vandalism, thereby making travelling on the route more pleasant for everyone.

The scheme is also intended to act as a positive visible deterrent for those who seek to commit acts of anti-social behaviour, as well as providing reassurance to customers. The scheme has been launched after the successful introduction of a similar ‘Safer Travel’ scheme on National Express East Anglia’s Colchester to Clacton services earlier in 2008.    

Clive Morris, National Express East Anglia’s Metro Route Business Director commented:

‘The launch of a National Express East Anglia ‘Safer Travel’ team on our Metro route will build on the success of the scheme operating on our Clacton branch, and the new team will be a reassuring presence for our customers travelling between Shenfield and Maryland. The ‘Safer Travel’ scheme demonstrates that we have listened to customers’ concerns and that we’re working to deliver improvements to our train services for the communities we serve.’

National Express is working in partnership with the British Transport Police on the Safer Travel initiative, which has been very successful in North Essex.