c2c Railway has become the first UK train operator to partner with the personal safety app WalkSafe, a move that promises Canvey Island commuters a new digital tool for planning safer journeys. The collaboration was announced on 15 June during Rail Safety Week and will see three c2c stations designated as safe areas within the WalkSafe app.
Southend Central, Grays and Basildon are the first integrated GBR Anglia stations to receive the safe area designation. WalkSafe users feeling uneasy will be guided to these stations, where c2c staff are available for help. The free app, founded in 2020, plots an interactive safety map and enables journey sharing among family and friends. Abu Siddeeq, c2c’s Customer Experience Director, said the operator is “delighted to have become the first TOC to partner with WalkSafe” as part of its effort to positively affect the lives of those living along its routes.
The launch event at Basildon station drew representatives from c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia under the unified GBR Anglia leadership. Lee Parlett, Health, Safety, Security and Environment Director for GBR Anglia, underlined the commitment to safety on and off the train. The concept was born when Iain Palmer, c2c’s Head of Revenue Protection and Security, heard WalkSafe founder Emma Kay speak in Birmingham last year. c2c records nearly 37.3 million journeys a year across 26 stations stretching from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness, and Canvey Island residents who commute into London stand to gain from the app’s personalised routing and real-time alerts when continuing their journeys in the capital.
WalkSafe has previously worked with police forces, councils, universities and venues across the country, but the c2c tie‑up marks the first with a train operating company. Emma Kay described it as an important precedent for transport providers supporting passenger safety. The app is available to download now, and the partnership runs beyond Rail Safety Week, which ends on 21 June, as part of c2c’s wider safety drive that has included White Ribbon accreditation and a specially liveried train raising awareness of violence against women and girls.
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