New figures show that 80 trespass incidents in the West Midlands caused more than 12 days of delays for passengers and cost the railway almost £900,000 in 2025/26.
To tackle the issue, the rail industry and British Transport Police have launched a ‘Crime with Consequences’ campaign to crack down on trespassers and reduce the impact crime and vandalism have on passengers and communities.
The incidents — cable theft, vandalism and deliberate obstruction — caused 17,552 minutes of delays, equivalent to more than 292 hours, and £887,878 in delay costs.
Seven cable theft incidents alone caused 11,256 delay minutes — more than 187 hours — and £547,805 in costs. A further 73 incidents of vandalism and deliberate obstruction — including deliberate damage to railway equipment and deliberately placing items such as debris and even other pieces of track on the railway — caused 6,296 delay minutes — almost 105 hours — and cost £340,073.
Across the railway, several initiatives to tackle cable theft and other crimes are in place, including drones, sensors and smart CCTV, which help Network Rail and the BTP identify and catch offenders.
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