Assaults on passengers and members of the public using Britain's railways have reached an all-time high, with London Underground assaults up by 20 per cent, new figures reveal. A total of 13,464 attacks on individuals not employed by the railway sector were recorded between April 2025 and March 2026 across mainline services, according to data released on Thursday (September 24) by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Record surge in reported attacks
This marked a 36 per cent surge compared with the previous 12 months, representing the highest figure since records began in 2004, with harassment and common assault accounting for the bulk of cases, the ORR stated. Across the London Underground system, reported assaults on passengers and the public rose to 5,534, marking a 20 per cent increase on the previous year.
Violence against railway employees on mainline networks similarly climbed by 12 per cent year-on-year, reaching 11,289 incidents, the data showed. This comprised 6,390 cases of verbal abuse, 2,487 physical assaults and 2,412 threats. Meanwhile, 3,525 assaults on London Underground staff were documented, representing a 3 per cent decline from the previous year.
Industry response to rising violence
Richard Hines, ORR's chief inspector of railways, described the rise in reported assaults as "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."
He added: "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."
Call for change in public behaviour
Mark Phillips, chief executive of the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), commented: "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."
The data underscores a growing challenge for rail operators and authorities, who are now tasked with implementing effective controls and encouraging incident reporting to reverse the trend.
