16 August 2025
RMT Press Office:
Rail union RMT, has condemned planned cuts to the British Transport Police (BTP), warning they will seriously endanger the safety of railway staff, particularly those working alone on trains and at stations.
The £8.5 million funding shortfall facing BTP this year could result in the closure of 13 police stations and the loss of around 600 posts including 200 filled roles.
The union said the cuts will leave frontline rail staff exposed to rising levels of violence, harassment, and anti-social behaviour, with reduced or non-existent police response on much of the network.
The impact is most acute for staff at stations and onboard trains, where RMT members already report regular verbal abuse, threats, and physical assault.
Planned cuts in Scotland are so severe that large swathes of the country will have little to no BTP coverage whatsoever.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “These cuts will severely impact the safety of rail workers and the travelling public.
"Station staff and train crews are being left to deal with violent and abusive passengers without adequate BTP support, often late at night, in isolated locations, and with no backup.
"BTP's own figures show a sharp rise in crime across the network, yet the response is to slash officer numbers, close stations, and disband the very unit that dealt with workplace violence. It is both outrageous and dangerous.
"The scheduled closures in Scotland are particularly worrying with large parts of the country having no nearby BTP support.
"There was a time when BTP officers would patrol stations and trains regularly providing a sense of security for staff and passengers. Now our members report that BTP will only attend the most serious of emergencies.
"Our union opposes these reckless cuts and demands immediate action to restore BTP staffing, reinstate protection for rail workers, and ensure our members can do their jobs without fear of abuse or attack.”
The BTP's workplace violence coordination unit which is tasked with addressing assaults and abuse of staff, is being disbanded entirely, with its work either ending or handed off to other departments.
RMT has launched an
Action Against Assaults campaign to demand better protection for rail workers and a safer travelling environment for passengers.
END
Notes:
As a result of the funding shortfall, 13 BTP stations are due to close. Some have already closed and all are expected to be closed by April of 2026.
They are:
Carmarthen
Grimsby
Lancaster
Middlesborough
Southport
Stoke
Taunton
Dumbarton
Dundee
Perth
Bromley
Gatwick
Richmond
BTP forecast a 27% rise in crime on the railway between March 2025 and March 2026.
The £8.5m shortfall equals just 0.03% of the railway’s total annual expenditure.
Cuts are expected to cause 250,000 additional delay minutes, adding cost and disruption to services.
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