A TRAIN operator is pioneering a music project designed to keep children off the railways.
Aspiring musicians can download their material on to a website, which is supported by top recording artists and music company EMI.
Northern Rail's venture promises musicians an instant audience - as web users can download music from other bands on the site legally.
The project aims to reduce deaths and injury caused by rail trespass. Eight children under the age of 16 were killed on the railways last year - including two in Darlington and a third in Blackhall Colliery, County Durham.
MusicTraX has been developed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and is being piloted by Northern, as the UK's largest train operator. Following the NorthernTraX pilot, RSSB will launch the nationally focused MusicTraX campaign.
In support of NorthernTraX, Northern Rail will host a series of roadshows in which young people can make their own music. The techno truck will be in the Haymarket, in Newcastle, on January 29.
The Northern Echo launched its No Messin! campaign following the deaths of two Darlington schoolboys on the railway in March last year.
Log on to www.northerntrax.net
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