Rail union RMT has warned of a surge in attacks on rail workers, coinciding with a reduction in British Transport Police (BTP) presence across the network.

Official figures indicate a 17% increase in assaults on rail staff over the summer months compared with the same period last year. Over the full reporting year to August 2025, incidents rose nearly 13%, with 2,299 offences recorded between June and August alone.

The union links the rise in violence to cuts in BTP staffing and station coverage, driven by funding shortfalls. Officers are reportedly stretched too thin to maintain a visible policing presence, raising concerns for both worker and passenger safety. RMT also pointed to BTP’s warning that increased deployment after the Huntingdon attack was only possible through “12-hour shifts, overtime, and a pause on non-urgent paperwork, including prosecution files,” a strategy that “cannot be sustained for long.”

As part of its Action Against Assault campaign, RMT is calling on the government to amend the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting public transport workers, provide long-term funding for BTP, and address unsafe working practices, including lone working and driver-only trains.

The union has also indicated that if employers fail to implement protective measures, it could launch a national ballot for industrial action.

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said:

“Rail workers are facing increasing levels of violence while policing resources meant to protect them and passengers are being cut back. A 17% rise in assaults represents real people being punched, threatened, spat at and abused for simply doing their jobs. This is not a situation our union will ever accept. BTP officers themselves have warned that their current level of deployment is unsustainable. The government must step in with a proper funding plan and must legislate for a standalone offence to deter attacks on public transport workers. If employers fail to act, our union will not hesitate to move towards a national ballot to ensure our members are protected at work.”

Image: British Transport Police