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Friday 6 Dec 2024

Passengers urged to be respectful to station staff this Christmas

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: Central

Birmingham New street passengers asked to be polite and respectful to railway staff over the festive period following station staff assaults.

Network Rail’s Central route has launched a new poster campaign reminding passengers that 'Behind Every Uniform is Someone Just Like You' to help reduce staff abuse at Birmingham New Street.

The campaign, created following 16 staff assaults being recorded over a six-month period, has been launched during the station’s busiest time of the year.

Of the 16 recorded assaults, over half of those were physical assaults with the remainder being verbal assaults or threatening behaviour.

Last Saturday (30 November) saw a record-breaking 280,000 people pass through the station and this weekend is expected to be another extremely busy one as the Christmas market and weekend celebrations draw people into the city centre.

Elizabeth Graham, station manager at Birmingham New Street, said: “We know the vast majority of passengers wouldn’t dream of behaving like this, but the statistics don’t lie.

“As station staff, our priorities are to keep passengers moving safely. We appreciate that delays or a busy station can cause frustration but that is never an excuse for physical, verbal or threatening behaviour.

“This campaign reminds passengers that behind the uniforms there are real people, with real lives, who are there to help but who deserve to be treated with respect at work.”

With trains and platforms expected to be busier throughout December - passengers are being urged to follow three golden rules if planning on heading into the second-city by train.

• Plan your journey and check before you travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk  
• Know your last few trains and don’t rely on the last service to get home – it will be extremely busy
• Respect staff and other travellers during the season of goodwill

As well as extra staff, a dedicated anti-social behaviour team is in place in the station, together with increased support from British Transport Police and St John Ambulance volunteers, to help keep staff and passengers safe during the Christmas market and festive season.

The new posters displayed around the station show computer generated imagery to protect staff identity, but the information used is based on real-life stats and scenarios.

If you witness abuse at a station, whether of railway staff or members of the public, please report it to the British Transport Police by phoning 0800 40 50 40 or texting 61016 for non-emergency enquiries. In an emergency always dial 999.

The latest travel information is available at www.nationalrail.co.uk or @NationalRailEnq or @WestMidRailway on X.