Joshua Travis has been named as the teenager who was hit by a train on Wednesday

A 14-year-old boy who was fatally stuck by a train had "so much love to give", his family have said in tribute.

Joshua Travis, a former Nottingham Forest academy footballer, was hit by a train in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, on Wednesday night and died at the scene, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

The teenager's death is not being treated as suspicious. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said it was conducting a "preliminary examination" into the incident.

Other tributes include dozens of floral messages left at the Chestnut Grove footpath level crossing, which has been closed to the public.

In a statement shared by BTP, Joshua's family said: "Josh was a lad with an incredible energy for life, an infectious and mischievous smile, kind sparkling eyes, and so much love to give. He leaves a gap in our lives that is and will always be impossible to fill, and we will miss him forever."

In a tribute shared on social media, Nottingham Forest said: "Everyone at [the club] is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our former academy goalkeeper Josh Travis. Our thoughts are with Josh's family and friends at this extremely difficult time."


The former Forest academy player was described as a "fantastic goalkeeper" with a "polite and funny nature"

The teenager was a goalkeeper for Gedling-based youth club, Aspire FC, which said it had postponed all its games at the weekend to pay respect to his family.

The club wrote on Facebook: "Josh was a fantastic goalkeeper and a great character in the group. Everybody that came across Josh described him as a pleasure to have around with his polite and funny nature. Josh made a real impact in his age group, both as a footballer but more importantly as a person and will be sorely missed at the club."

Burton Joyce FC said it was devastated by Joshua's death and would be holding a minute's silence at all its games across the weekend in his memory. In a tribute on Facebook, the club said: " The Travis family have been a huge part of our club for so many years, and our hearts are with them during this unimaginable time. Rest peacefully, Josh - you'll always be part of our BJFC family."


Floral tributes have been left at the Chestnut Grove crossing in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire

On Friday, groups of young people attended the scene to pay tribute to Joshua.

The Chestnut Grove crossing has been closed for an initial 21 days.

Network Rail said it requested the emergency closure following Joshua's death.

The railway firm's route director for the East Midlands Mark Budden said: "Our immediate thoughts are with the family and friends that have been affected by this tragic incident. Safety is our top priority and we are fully supporting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) as part of their ongoing inquiries."

RAIB said a decision on any further action in relation to the matter would be taken once evidence gathered by inspectors had been reviewed.

Level crossing under review when boy hit by train

A consultation on whether to close a footpath level crossing opened the day before a 14-year-old boy was fatally struck by a train, documents have shown.

Josh Travis died when he was struck by a train in Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, on Wednesday.

Network Rail had applied to Nottinghamshire County Council to close the Chestnut Grove level crossing on safety grounds in March, warning it posed a "very real risk of serious incident".

As part of the application to "extinguish the public right of way", authority launched a consultation on 25 November. The council has been contacted for comment.

Josh's death is not being treated as suspicious, and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it was conducting a "preliminary examination".

Tributes, including dozens of floral messages, have since been left at the level crossing.

Network Rail added on Thursday that the council had agreed to an emergency closure of the footpath, which would initially be in place for 21 days. A document submitted as part of the application from Network Rail to the council said there was a "very real risk of a serious incident at Chestnut Grove level crossing if it remains open".

The report confirmed that, as of March 2025, there had been 19 near-misses at the crossing since 2020. It added a near-miss in this instance was an event in which the train driver had to apply the emergency brake for fear of hitting a person who was crossing. "Misuse occurs on a daily basis and it is only a matter of time before a person is hit at the crossing," it stated.

The report detailed that Network Rail had submitted "repeated applications" to the county council to temporarily stop the public right of way over the crossing to remove the risk to users while permanent solutions were explored.

Mark Budden, Network Rail's route director, East Midlands, said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends affected by this tragic incident. Safety is our top priority, and we are supporting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch in its inquiries.

"The level crossing is a public right of way, and Network Rail does not have the legal powers to close it - that decision rests with the local highways authority and needs a formal application and public consultation. We submitted an application in spring this year to close the level crossing on safety grounds, and the council had recently launched a public consultation for this."


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