When it comes to safety on Melbourne’s rail network, a poster can speak a thousand words.

In August, Metro’s Community Education Unit held its annual Rail Safety Week poster competition, calling on year 5 and 6 students from across Melbourne to put their creativity to the test, and develop a unique safety message for passengers.

Tucker Road Primary School student Trinity Taylor took out the top prize, highlighting the importance of stopping and thinking around trains.

The poster includes a train travelling across a level crossing, with the boom arms down, and features the message: “Use your brain, when around trains, think twice, don’t pay the price.”

Trinity earned a school visit from Metro’s Community Education Unit and Dumb Ways to Die characters for a special presentation of her prize, which included a Playstation 4 console and showbag.

Metro Trains Community Education Officer Kelli Williams said the poster competition was a terrific way to engage young people on the importance of being safe around trains.

“We speak to tens of thousands of people every year and visit hundreds of schools to spread a message of safety on the rail network,” Kelli said.

“Congratulations to our winner Trinity and all our competition participants. These posters are teaching better behaviours around trains, which is a job for passengers big and small.”

Dumb Ways to Die became the most awarded campaign in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity when launched by Metro in 2012.

It has since generated more than 120 million personal pledges to be safe around trains from all around the world.

“Rail Safety Week is a chance to remind people that careless or reckless behaviour around trains can have dire consequences,” Kelli said.

Rail Safety Week (12-18 August 2019) is an annual Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and TrackSAFE Foundation community awareness initiative held across Australia and New Zealand.