Our recent Rail Leaders Networking Breakfast was a huge success, sparking vital conversations about the future of the UK rail industry and fostering connections among key players.
Date: 2cd July 2025 | Author: Con Enzler
We recently had the pleasure of hosting the first Rail Leaders Networking Breakfast in collaboration with Ashurst at their London offices.
We were honoured to welcome Alex Hynes, Director General of Rail Services at the Department for Transport (DfT), as our keynote speaker. He provided insightful reflections on rail reform and shared his vision for the future of Great British Railways. His insights sparked many thoughtful conversations among the attendees as they reflected on the sector’s direction.
We were honoured to welcome Alex Hynes, Director General of Rail Services at the Department for Transport (DfT), as our keynote speaker. He provided insightful reflections on rail reform and shared his vision for the future of Great British Railways. His insights sparked many thoughtful conversations among the attendees as they reflected on the sector’s direction.
Our own Rob Capener (CEO) and Rina Dabhi (UK Programme Director) spoke about how our UK Programme is working to embed strong safeguarding practices across the rail network. They highlighted why this work is more important now than ever, contributing to both the safety of vulnerable people and the overall reduction of incidents on the network. Ahead of upcoming government plans to reform the railway, we want to ensure that safeguarding remains a priority and is written into new legislation and guidance.
Beyond the presentations, the breakfast offered a valuable opportunity for attendees to network, connect, and engage in topical discussions over a delicious breakfast.
It was clear that everyone present shared a commitment to shaping a more efficient, safer, and forward-looking railway system in the UK.
“It was a real joy hosting this event with Ashurst, and wonderful for everyone to have the opportunity to learn new insights and engage with so many key players in the industry.
There was lots of great discussion and for me, it was really positive being able to have those conversations about why we need to be prioritising the safeguarding of vulnerable young people on the network.
There was definitely a sense in the room that this was the first of many meetings like this, and we’re excited to get going planning the next one!”
Rina Dabhi, Railway Children UK Programme Director
If you’re interested in attending, please register your interest by contacting us at: hello@railwaychildren.org.uk. We look forward to seeing you there!
More than 1,000 children learn vital skills at Leeds Station Safety Week. The flagship safety initiative – now in its 10th year – got under way at the station on Monday 15 June and runs to Friday 19 June during Rail Safety Week (15-21 June).
In a recent report, more than 40% of people said they wouldn’t know what to do if they spotted a child at risk at a train station. * That’s a statistic that Railway Children’s new interactive game, Seconds to Safety, is here to change.
From 18 – 22 May 2026, 14 police officers serving under the Gender and Children’s Desk in Mwanza successfully completed a five-day specialist training on child sexual abuse interviewing and crime scene forensics, delivered through a partnership between Railway Children Africa (RCA) and the College of Policing.
Learn about safeguarding and how it relates to child protection on transport networks.
No child wants to survive on the streets. And, through understanding and empowerment, together, we can ensure no child has to.
Julia, 24, grew up as a boy but knew, early on, that the gender she’d been born into was not who she was. Here, she talks to Youth Platform about her journey, and what she wishes she’d know as a ten-year-old boy.
