Northern trains from Leeds targeted by bricks and air rifles this year as dangerous attacks stats released

The number of dangerous attacks on trains operated by Northern is down by almost 90% in the last 12 months, with the number of recorded incidents at just eight compared to 69 the year before.

Amongst the eight incidents is an incident where a brick was thrown at a train at Kirkstall Forge station and a service from Leeds to Bradford Forster Square that was targeted with pellets fired from an air gun.

Northern has attributed the significant decrease in reported incident to the additional 600 new CCTV cameras it added across its network earlier this year to the more than 1,000 that monitor its station estate. These were in addition to the 7,000 new cameras fitted on-board its fleet of trains in 2022, footage from which can be viewed by British Transport Police in real time.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “Each and every incident recorded represents a serious danger to the passengers and train crew involved and we appeal to anyone involved in this criminal activity to stop.

“Fortunately, the appetite for committing these senseless acts is clearly in decline – not least of all because the chance of being ‘caught on camera’ is now far greater.

“That said, we certainly won’t be resting on our laurels. These statistics should stand at zero and we will continue to work with community partners across the region and our colleagues at Network Rail to identify the perpetrators and support British Transport Police with any prosecutions brought before the courts.”

Anyone who witnesses items being thrown at trains or sees someone placing items on the track is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

On Sunday (December 10), rail timetables across the North of England will change in line with the rest of the National Rail network. Customers are encouraged to use the ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on the Northern website for more information about their local station.