Assaults on passengers and public on Britain’s railways surge to new record
There were 13,464 reported assaults against non-staff in a "concerning" pattern of increasing violence.
Assaults on passengers and other members of the public on Britain’s railways have hit a record high, figures show.
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There were 13,464 reported assaults against people who are not part of the railway workforce between April 2025 and March 2026 on mainline services, data published on Thursday by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) revealed.
This was an increase of 36% compared with the previous year, the highest number since the ORR began recording the data in 2004, with harassment and common assault making up the majority of incidents, the ORR said.
On the London Underground network, the number of reported assaults on the publicand passengers climbed to 5,534, representing a 20% rise since the previous year.
Assaults against rail workers on mainline networks also increased by 12% compared with the previous year, to a total of 11,289, according to the data.
This included 6,390 incidents of verbal abuse, 2,487 physical assaults and 2,412 threats.
There were 3,525 reported assaults on the London Underground workforce, a decrease of 3% from the previous year.
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector of railways, said the increase in assault reports was “concerning”.
He said: “No-one on the railway should be subjected to violence, threats or abuse.
“We’re working with industry and our trade union colleagues to address work-related violence and harassment, including through recent guidance which sets out what we expect from rail employers.
“This includes understanding where the risks are, putting effective controls in place, encouraging staff to report incidents and providing appropriate support afterwards.
“Our inspectors will continue to check how these risks are being managed.”
Mark Phillips, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) chief executive, said: “The rail industry continues to take action to better protect staff, but these figures underline the need for a change in public behaviour and greater respect for the people who keep the railway running safely every day.”