“I had a lad spit in my face and try to punch me a few years ago. It was completely out of the blue, but that’s the sort of thing you have to put up with,”
Northern is asking members of the public to treat everyone working on the railway with respect as it cracks down on verbal and physical abuse.
The train operator has highlighted a number of incidents conductors have faced while they work to ensure everyone reaches their destination safely and that they all have a valid ticket for travel.
While the overwhelming majority of people who travel with Northern are polite and respectful, a very small minority has resorted to shouting, spitting and attacking members of staff in recent years.
Four of the train operator’s conductors have shared their experiences in the hope it will make people think about their behaviour towards them and their colleagues.
Northern said it will not tolerate verbal and physical abuse towards staff and will take action against anyone who threatens their employees’ safety.
In December, Northern revealed the number of dangerous attacks on its trains was down almost 90% in the previous 12 months, with the number of recorded incidents falling from 69 to just eight.
The train operator says the chance of perpetrators being caught on camera is now much higher after it added a further 600 new CCTV cameras to the more than 1,000 that monitor its station estate.
It came after the operator installed 7,000 HD CCTV cameras on board its fleet of trains and invested £1.7m in the roll-out of more than 1,000 extra body-worn camera kits, taking the total number now in operation to 1,300.
British Transport Police has access to all the footage and can use it in criminal prosecutions.
Dozens of undercover and plain-clothed police officers and Northern’s travel safety officers also regularly patrol services across the North of England.
A Northern spokesperson said: “We welcome millions of customers on board our trains every year and the overwhelming majority are polite, considerate and respectful of others.
“Unfortunately, given the numbers involved, our conductors do also encounter people who are somewhat less respectful of them and the safety critical role they have on-board – and that is unacceptable.”
Lewis Tracey is a 28-year-old conductor based in Wigan who has worked for Northern for eight years.
“I had a lad spit in my face and try to punch me a few years ago. It was completely out of the blue, but that’s the sort of thing you have to put up with,” he said.
“With some people you can reason with them, but with others there is no reasoning whatsoever, no matter what you do. It does get stressful, there’s no denying it.
“They see the uniform and want someone to vent at, but sometimes the abuse does get really personal and they don’t realise how much it can affect that person.”
He added: “The body-worn cameras and CCTV do make a difference, because people think twice before they abuse someone or hit someone because they know they’re on camera.”
