Data published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) indicates that the number of reported assaults on Great Britain’s railways has reached a record high, with almost 25,000 incidents recorded in a year.
For the 2025-26 period, there were 13,464 reported assaults against passengers and members of the public on the mainline railway. This represents a 36% increase compared to the previous year and is the highest figure recorded by the ORR since it began tracking these statistics in 2004.
Reported assaults on rail staff also saw an increase of 12% in a year, totalling 11,289 incidents. These incidents primarily involved verbal abuse, but also included nearly 2,500 physical assaults, averaging approximately seven per day.
Among the assaults against members of the public, there was a 52% rise in harassment cases year-on-year, and common assault incidents increased by 30%.