Man Jailed After Rail Obstruction Causes 32 Hours of Delays

A man whose actions brought rail services in Lincoln to a standstill and cost the industry more than £67,000 has been jailed following an investigation by British Transport Police.

Robert Nicholson, 60, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday 16 February. He had previously been found guilty of two counts of Obstructing the Railway and one count of Possession of a Bladed Article. The court also ordered him to pay a £187 surcharge.

The case centred on incidents at Brayford Wharf East on 2 and 3 December 2025. At around 4.30pm on Tuesday 2 December, officers from BTP and Lincolnshire Police were called to reports of a man positioned precariously above the railway lines on top of a car park. Nicholson remained there for more than an hour, leading to severe disruption affecting 15 trains.

After engaging with officers, he agreed to come inside and was taken to a place of safety. Having been assessed as fit for interview, he was taken into custody and later bailed while enquiries continued.

However, the following afternoon at around 2.30pm, Nicholson returned to the same location. On this occasion he was carrying alcohol and two knives. Concerned for his welfare, officers worked with Network Rail to halt all train movements beneath him. They were eventually able to reach him and pull him to safety before arresting him. He was charged on 5 December.

BTP PC Joseph Jenkins said:

“As well as the substantial disruption, Nicholson’s actions put himself in harm’s way, as well as responding officers and people travelling on the trains below. This custodial sentence will allow him plenty of time to think about his actions and hopefully deter him from making the same mistakes again. We’ll always work with our partners at Network Rail to keep disruption on the railways to a minimum, and put offenders before the courts in the most serious cases.”

Daniel Matthews, Operations Director for Network Rail added:

"We're delighted the court has recognised how serious behaviour like this is. Safety always comes first but as well as putting themself and the responding teams at risk, these incidents caused over 32 hours of delays, costing the railway more than £67,000. That is money which then can’t be spent on improving services for our passenger and freight customers. We hope this sentence sends a strong message to everyone to stay away from the tracks."

Anyone who sees a person obstructing the railway is urged to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.

Image: British Transport Police