Northern employees given specialist training to help victims of ‘unwanted sexual behaviour’ on the railway

Based at locations including Blackpool, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Preston and York they will help signpost colleagues who experience ‘USB’ to the support services available and encourage them to report incidents to the police.

Through the promotion of those support services with their peers and by raising awareness of the action taken against perpetrators, the network also hopes to inspire all customer facing staff across the region to have the confidence to identify and intervene in cases of USB against members of the public at stations and on-board services too.

The creation of this network is the latest action Northern has taken to help combat USB on the railway.

In September 2023, they joined forces with students from Bradford City Community Foundation to raise awareness of the issue in society.

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern who leads the train operator’s campaign against ‘USB’, said: “Everyone should be free to go about their day without feeling unsafe, violated or intimidated.

“Unfortunately, unwanted sexual behaviour can happen to anyone anywhere and people need to feel empowered to report it.

“I’m grateful to each and every one of my colleagues that volunteered to join this network for playing their part in our mission to eradicate this behaviour and make the railway safer for customers and rail employees alike.”

Anyone who witnesses USB or other anti-social or criminal activity on the railway should contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40.

They can also report crimes via the British Transport Police ‘Railway Guardian’ app, an all-in-one safety app that allows users to report crimes or concerns on the rail network, share journeys with trusted contacts and get access to news, guides and support.

The app is available to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.