Rail passengers reminded to keep hold of belongings with 2023 take on nursery rhyme classic

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes...

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has reimagined the classic children's song ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ to encourage people to look after their belongings to avoid items falling onto railway tracks. The song, which is called the ‘Keep off the Track’ track, was released on Spotify today to mark the beginning of Rail Safety Week (26th June - 2nd July).

The song has been re-written to encourage passengers to check their ‘Heads [phones], Shoulders [bags], Keys and Phones’ when getting on and off trains after Network Rail data revealed that headphones and mobile phones account for 50% and 43%, respectively, of all small tech dropped on tracks since 2018.

The song has been designed to create an earworm that people will remember when travelling and features the voices of children for added impact. Results from a previous transport campaign showed a reduction in incidents when children’s voices were used to deliver important messages.

Keep off the track.

Almost 200 items are dropped onto railway tracks every year, from the everyday to the unexpected. Some of the most common items include scooters, pushchair wheels, jackets/coats and traffic cones. These have been brought to life in a visual that acts as the album cover for the new song, with commonly dropped items creating a chalk body outline associated with crime scenes. The visual is a stark reminder of the consequences that come with accessing railway lines.

From April 2022 until March 2023, more than 400 people risked their lives by stepping onto a train track to retrieve dropped items, an increase of 18% from 2021-22. 

As the numbers continue to grow, GTR hopes that the ‘Keep off the Track’ track will do exactly that and keep people off train tracks.

As well as health and safety dangers related to dropped items, industry data also reveals that in 2022, more than 60 hours of train delays were caused by items being dropped on tracks.

In the instance that someone does drop something onto the track, they should speak to a member of the station staff or visit one of the designated help points.

‘Keep off the Track’ track by GTR has been released on Spotify today. Listen to it here.