Department for Transport written question – answered at on 15 June 2026.
Richard Fuller
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which 10 (a) railway lines and (b) station sections recorded the highest number of trespass incidents in 2025; and what physical security measures are being deployed at those hotspots.
Keir Mather
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The 10 ‘Network Rail Sections’ that recorded the highest number of trespass incidents which caused delay in the financial year 2025/26 are set out in the table below.
Network Rail Section Name |
Bournemouth to Brockenhurst |
Galton Jn to Wolverhampton |
Blackburn to Gannow Jn |
Rhyl to Shotton |
Brimsdown to Cheshunt |
Brimsdown to Coppermill Junction |
Deansgate to Glazebrook East Junction and Sidings |
Apperley Jn to Armley Junction |
Bishops Stortford to Harlow Town |
St Albans City to West Hampstead Thameslink |
Data is not held in a form that identifies “station sections” as a separate category. However, the following locations had the highest number of trespass incidents on or near national rail infrastructure (e.g. tracks, rail bridges, signals) which caused delay on the network in the financial year 2025/26.
Trespass Location |
Northallerton |
Cosham |
Pokesdown |
Ilford |
Woking |
Rochdale |
Kirkcaldy |
East Croydon |
Bridgwater |
Bache |
Network Rail and industry partners deploy a range of measures to tackle trespass at higher-risk locations. These include physical measures to restrict or deter access where appropriate, alongside CCTV, targeted patrols, security and welfare teams and public safety campaigns.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.