Scotland’s most intimidating railway line has been identified.
A new survey by the British Transport Police has revealed how staff and passengers feel travelling on Scotland’s train network. According to the results, barely a third of train workers feel safe on the country’s railways.
As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, anti-social and drunken behaviour were named by employees as the primary reason for their concern. Meanwhile, the same survey found that passengers overall have a much more positive outlook on rail travel in Scotland.
However, there were significant regional differences across the country. As per 1919 Magazine, which has had access to the survey results, only half of the passengers travelling to and from Dumbarton felt secure, while this figure rose to 80 per cent in Edinburgh.
Dumbarton is served by two lines, both passing through Glasgow. One line to Glasgow Queen Street links the town with the north of Glasgow and extends into the Highlands, reaching Oban and Mallaig.
Dumbarton also has low-level lines through both Glasgow Central and Queen Street. These run to Lanarkshire and Edinburgh respectively.
According to 1919 Magazine, travellers cited anti-social behaviour and football-related disorder as their primary concerns. Only 37 per cent of staff felt safe on the railways, voicing complaints about anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related disorder.
ScotRail has upheld a ban on drinking alcohol on trains, which was first introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite some criticism, the operator has not indicated that it will reverse the ban.
Meanwhile, almost 60 per cent of staff expressed a lack of confidence in the British Transport Police. On the other hand, three-quarters of passengers felt safer knowing they were present.
A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union described it as a “totally unacceptable situation that a majority of rail staff in Scotland do not feel safe on the railway”. They continued: “Physical and verbal attacks or harassment of railway staff are far too high and we push for the maximum legal penalties for perpetrators.”
David Lister, ScotRail’s sustainability and asset director, affirmed that the company is “absolutely committed to tackling anti-social behaviour on Scotland’s railways and delivering a safe railway for our customers and our own people”. He urged passengers to report any issues to BTP.
A BTP spokesperson stated: “The safety of railway staff simply doing their job is of the utmost importance to us, and we take assaults and abuse of rail staff extremely seriously and it will not be tolerated on the network under any circumstances.
“Following the rail staff survey, we have developed an action plan which will see increases in high-visibility patrols such as on-train patrols to tackle anti-social behaviour, at locations identified as anti-social behaviour hot spots, alongside increased visibility during major events.”
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