Railway trespass incidents on the rise in Sussex

New figures from Network Rail have revealed that trespass on the railway has risen in Sussex over the last 12 months - and in recent years.

There were 951 trespass incidents across the county's railway network in 2025/26, over 70 more than the number recorded during 2024/25, and significantly higher than the 715 in 2021/22.

Last week, staff and police joined forces at Clapham Junction station for an action day to tackle trespassing and anti-social behaviour, and help protect vulnerable people.

Paul Langley, from Network Rail, said the provider was working with British Transport Police to "take practical, targeted action" against trespassing, such as using drones.

He said the drones were being used across the network to help identify offenders and reduce disruption to passengers.

The delays caused by railway trespass have also continued to rise, the figures show.

In 2021/22, 48,796 minutes were lost. By 2025/26, this had more than doubled to 109,392 minutes.

According to Network Rail, a similar week of action which took place at four stations in August, including Three Bridges in West Sussex, yielded positive results.

Incidents at specific locations in Sussex dropped by 87% during the week after the campaign compared with the seven days before, the rail company said.

Langley also emphasised the company's commitment to ensuring that "our colleagues are equipped to support vulnerable people" who may trespass.

Mike Boyce, head of security and policing at Greater Thameslink Railway, said: "Some people, of course, may be in a difficult, dark place, which is why, with the Samaritans, we train all our station teams to spot and support vulnerable people.

"Last year alone, this helped our colleagues make more than 200 life-saving interventions."

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