Assaults on rail network more than triple in 10 years

The number of reported passenger assaults on the rail network has more than tripled in the past 10 years, according to official figures.

Between April 2024 and March 2025 found there were 10,231 reported assaults, up 7% on the year before, the Office of Rail and Road’s annual report into health and safety found.

Ten years ago, there were 3,211 reported assaults, including harassment and common assaults.

The increase coincides with a drive by British Transport Police to encourage the public to report a wide range of potential concerns on the rail network.

Its “See It. Say It. Sorted.” campaign was launched in 2016 and then relaunched last year, encouraging the public to report “anything unusual”, either to station staff or to British Transport Police.

In 2022, it launched its ‘Speak Up, Interrupt’ campaign to encourage anyone who witnesses inappropriate sexual behaviour “to report incidents or safely intervene where they can”.

Across the mainline rail network, harassment and common assault made up more than three quarters of the total assaults, and both of these categories saw an increase.

This trend was mirrored on the London Underground, where reported assaults reached their highest level since the data series began in 2004, up to just over 4,600.

Of those reported incidents, harassment and common assault counting for more than 80% of the total.

In the financial year from April 2024 in the report to March 2025, passengers took 1.7 billion journeys on the mainline railway.

In that period, 14 members of the public died on the mainline network and the London Underground (not counting suicides and trespass-related incidents).

There were also two deaths of workers on the rail network – one after being assaulted at a station, and the other resulting from a fall.

The number of suicides across the rail network were also at their highest level since 2002.

Across the mainline network, there were 368 suicides or suspected suicide attempts, resulting in 293 fatalities.

Thursday’s report found injuries to members of the public and workers have also been creeping back towards pre-pandemic highs.

Recording just over 11,472 injuries, this marked the fourth yearly increase in a row, but was still below level reported in 2019-20.

Of these injuries, the vast majority – almost 80% – were non-severe.

The ORR divides up the information it reports between the mainline rail network, non-mainline (which includes services through the Channel Tunnel, as well as trams and light rail), and the London Underground.

• If you, or someone you know, has been affected by mental health issues BBC Action Line has put together a list of organisations which can help.