TRANSPORT for Wales (TfW) is set to install up to 200 life-saving defibrillators at its railway stations across the Wales and Borders network.

The scheme will see defibrillators fitted at more than 80 per cent of stations over the next 18 months, which will be accessible to the public 24 hours a day.

Defibrillators are a portable device that can give a casualty’s heart an electric shock when it has stopped beating, normally in a sudden cardiac arrest. Using a defibrillator within three minutes of a cardiac arrest can improve a person's chance of survival by as much as 70 per cent.

Their importance has been highlighted following the use of a defibrillator during the Denmark and Finland match at the European Championships, when the Dane’s Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed with a suspected cardiac arrest.

Karl Gilmore, TfW’s rail infrastructure director, said: “We have long recognised how important defibrillators can be as a life-saving tool, so we’re delighted to now be in a position to install these devices across the Wales and Borders network.

“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority and as part of work with the provider Aero Healthcare, our staff will be offered training on how to use the defibrillators.

“We want to make the Wales and Borders network the safest in the UK and an important part of this is having the right facilities at our stations to help people in the case of an emergency.

“We are also working with various healthcare colleagues and charities, who are helping us plan how we can provide training on this life-saving equipment, deep into our communities.”

The defibrillators will also be registered with The Circuit, the national defibrillator network and the ambulance service.