Free rail scheme for domestic abuse victims 'saved my life'

The mother of three (not pictured) fled following a violent attack

A woman who fled a violent relationship with her children using a free rail scheme says it "saved her life".

Rail to Refuge was set up in March 2020 by charity Women's Aid and rail operators to provide free train tickets for women, men and children fleeing domestic abuse.

The scheme has helped more than 800 people in its first year.

The anonymous mother of three, from Wiltshire, said: "Without Rail to Refuge I wouldn't have had a way out."

"I have no doubt in my mind the violence that I endured would have ended up with me dying or being in a wheelchair," she said.

Rail to Refuge allows a person fleeing abuse to contact Women's Aid, with the charity then finding a place of refuge before booking train tickets so the person can travel for free to safety.

• For information and support on domestic abuse, access the BBC Action Line.

Victims across the south of England, West Midlands and south Wales have benefited from the initiative, after Southeastern and Great Western Railway signed up.

Swindon Women's Aid has been working with Great Western Railway (GWR) since the beginning of the scheme

The domestic abuse survivor, from the Swindon area, said an "extremely violent attack" on her and her son prompted the call to Women's Aid.

"They said we can get you a train and I said I can't afford a ticket, but they said we do a program called Rail to Refuge and at that point I realised I could leave and I wasn't trapped anymore," she said.

"The next day I had train tickets on my phone. It was easy, it's very discreet."

'A lifesaver'

Georgia Hall, from Swindon Women's Aid, said: "It's so easy to use and I don't think you can put a value on what it's actually done for our service users.

"It takes away that barrier of travel and the cost of travel which can be quite expensive especially if they are moving to a different part of the country."

Ruth Busby, HR director at GWR, said lockdown coming so soon after the project was launched made its importance even clearer.

"It became even more apparent how much this sort of service could be a lifesaver for so many people in difficulty," she said.

"It's fantastic to be able to do a small thing that makes such a big difference."

For information and support on domestic abuse, contact:

• Police: 999 press 55 when prompted if you can't speak

• National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247

• Refuge UK-wide 24-hour helpline: 0808 2000 247

• Men's Advice Line 0808 801 0327

Online webchats and text services are also available.