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Rail industry crackdown as trespassing criminals cause more than 3,300 hours of delays for passengers in a year
- Trespass crime including cable theft, vandalism, and obstruction caused nearly five months of delays to passengers and cost the industry over £10 million in delay costs in 2025/26
- Cable theft alone caused over 2,100 hours of delays and saw delay costs double to £6.8m in 2025/26
- New crackdown campaign sees rail industry and British Transport Police working closer together than ever in tackling trespass and railway crime
- New technology and better evidence gathering to bring more offenders to justice and reduce impact on passengers.
Latest News
Rail industry crackdown as trespassing criminals cause more than 1,000 hours of delays for Wales and Borders passengers in one year
New data reveals trespass including incidents of cable theft, vandalism and obstruction severely impacted passenger journeys and contributed £2.5 million in delay costs to the industry in 2025/26.
Campaign warns of consequences after trespass causes more than 60 days of delays
Trespass, vandalism and cable crime caused more than 1,500 hours of delays – equivalent to 63 days – on the East Midlands route in 2025/26, new figures show.
Trespass causes 90 days’ worth of delays in the West as rail industry launches crime crackdown
- More than 1,300 trespass incidents were recorded across Network Rail’s Great Western route in 2025/26
- Combined, these incidents caused almost 130,000 minutes of delays, equivalent to around 90 days
- Rail industry and British Transport Police launch new campaign warning that railway crime has serious consequences
Network Rail East Coast and LNER back Crime with Consequences industry campaign
Network Rail East Coast and LNER are supporting a new rail industry campaign aiming to crack down on crimes committed by trespassers.
TRU welcome Kirklees Council to Huddersfield station as programme reaches halfway mark in latest series of improvement works
Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) teams have made strong progress with works in the Huddersfield area while the railway has been closed, with work continuing until Sunday 4 October. The new leadership of Kirklees Council were invited to see the work at Huddersfield station firsthand and discuss the benefits TRU is bringing to rail users and local communities.
Plan ahead: Improvements coming for Havant’s railway in October
- Improvement work takes place between Saturday 24 October and Sunday 1 November, affecting train services through Havant
- The latest track and signalling improvements are part of two major projects to provide a more reliable railway for South Western Railway and Southern customers
- Customers should plan their journeys carefully, as buses will replace trains in the Chichester, Guildford, Havant, Petersfield, Portsmouth and Southampton areas
One of the busiest areas on the South Western Railway (SWR) network is getting an upgrade this October.
Trespassers on the railway in the North West cost nearly £6m last year
Trespassers on the railway in the North West cost the taxpayer nearly £6m in the last year, it has been revealed.
New warning lights and CCTV to transform Sportsfield level crossing
A level crossing which was closed over safety concerns after youngsters were spotted playing “chicken” with trains will reopen after a significant upgrade, Network Rail can confirm.