CHILREN from a Southend school boarded their very own chartered train service to learn about railway safety.

Staff from Network Rail and c2c taught youngsters from Hamstel Junior School, in Hamstel Road, how to stay safe at stations and level crossings as they enjoyed a journey to Leigh.

The children gathered at Southend East station to catch the special chartered service, which was exclusively for them.

It took them to Shoebury and then on to Leigh, where they took part in school activities on the beach.

While on board the train, Network Rail and c2c staff talked to the children about how to stay safe at the station, how to use level crossings and the dangers of trespassing on the railway line.

The trip was organised by c2c, part of National Express, as part of its station adoption package, in which schools can adopt their local train station.

Several schools have adopted a station along the route from Shoebury to Fenchurch Street.

The scheme aims to educate young people about the railway and also aims to encourage other station users and passengers to respect the environment around them.

Kat O’Malley, community safety manager at Network Rail, said: “Staying safe on the railway is very important and this trip provided us with the opportunity to talk to the children about how to stay safe when using the station, how to use level crossings safely and to educate the children about the dangers of trespassing on the railway.

“Being on the train was exciting for the children and this was the perfect environment to teach the children about railway safety.”

A c2c spokesman said: "Our link with Hamstel Junior School is a great opportunity to establish a strong relationship with the local community and to give the pupils a chance to learn about how a railway works and how important rail safety is.

“The children loved having the train to themselves and we are pleased they had such a great day out."