Barely a third of train workers feel safe on Scotland’s railways, a wide-ranging study by the British Transport Police has found.
Anti-social behaviour and drunkenness were cited by employees as the main reason for their concern, although the same survey found passengers had a far more positive experience while travelling by rail.
Unions said cuts to ticket office hours have compounded the situation for workers, and called for “more staffing” at stations and on trains.
But ScotRail, whose promotion of the survey resulted in a 300 per cent increase in participation compared to the 2023 equivalent, said the results for Scotland, while requiring improvement, were the best in the UK.
More than 360 Scottish workers took part in the detailed survey, seen by 1919, including 42 from Network Rail.
Thirty-seven per cent said they felt safe while at work, a figure which dropped to 18 per cent for train guards and managers.
The older a staff member was, the more likely they were to feel unsafe, while 59 per cent said they were “not confident” in the British Transport Police (BTP), citing low visibility of officers.
Only 17.5 per cent said officers were there when they needed them.
“It is a totally unacceptable situation that a majority of rail staff in Scotland do not feel safe on the railway,” a spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) told 1919.
“Physical and verbal attacks or harassment of railway staff are far too high and we push for the maximum legal penalties for perpetrators.”
When asked about a range of police initiatives in relation to passenger safety, the project to reduce violence against women and girls was deemed the most effective by staff.
All age groups of employees pointed to “anti-social behaviour” as the biggest problem, followed by “alcohol-related disorder.”
ScotRail has upheld a ban on drinking alcohol on trains which was initially enforced during the Covid pandemic, a position which is unlikely to change despite some criticism.
“It is a totally unacceptable situation that a majority of rail staff in Scotland do not feel safe on the railway”
RMT union
On the subject of passengers, the report provided more positive reading for bosses.
Analysis of more than 500 responses gathered between August and September last year found 75 per cent of people felt safe while travelling.
Most were positive about the role of the BTP, and three quarters said they felt safer knowing officers are policing the railway.
There was some geographical disparity; 80 per cent of those travelling to and from Edinburgh felt secure, a figure which dropped to 50 per cent for those using services in Dumbarton.
Like staff, they felt anti-social behaviour was the main concern, and identified football-related disorder as their second most likely fear.
ScotRail has a several schemes with the BTP to protect staff and passenger safety, including more double-staffing and a three-fold increase in body-worn cameras.
“ScotRail is absolutely committed to tackling anti-social behaviour on Scotland’s railways and delivering a safe railway for our customers and our own people,” said David Lister, the organisation’s sustainability and asset director.
“To assist us in tackling unacceptable behaviour, it’s important for anyone who witnesses it to report those responsible to BTP so that they can be brought to justice.”
A BTP spokesperson said: “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.”