There can be "up to a dozen incidents" of trespassing each day on train lines in Sussex and Kent, Network Rail has said.

Paul Langley, head of security, crime and resilience for the southern region, said the railway environment was "inherently dangerous" and trespassing exacerbated this. He was speaking from Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre incident control room, where staff demonstrated how the team ensured the smooth running of one of the busiest lines in the UK. He said: "Our message is, stay off the tracks. You're putting not only yourself at risk, but also those people who have to respond to it."


Network Rail invited the BBC to tour the Three Bridges control room to see how staff ensured the smooth running of the rail line

Mr Langley made clear the "huge impact" such incidents had on staff, including those responding on the ground and "the people who are managing this on a daily basis in control". He said: "These can end in really tragic incidents that we see, unfortunately, quite regularly on the railway."  With trespassing being one of the "key drivers" for delays, he was also keen to highlight the significant "human impact" that had.

He said: "We're not a million miles from Gatwick Airport. People that are travelling there can miss flights."  Hospital appointments can also be missed, he added, while trespassing can also create "childcare issues", and result in missed meetings. "This impacts thousands of people, almost on a daily basis," he said.



The security head said that, while there can be up to a dozen trespassing incidents per day, numbers do fluctuate.

When it comes to spotting trespassers, drones are a key tool.

Insp Paul Donovan from British Transport Police said drones offer "fantastic situational awareness" which allow the force to help reduce disruption on the railway. He said: "We can turn up and deploy the drone, it's a lot quicker, it's a lot more effective for getting the railway back to normality. Most importantly, it's a safety thing as well, because it helps us minimise risk ... The important thing for us is to get the railway moving as soon as possible when it's safe to do so."

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Trespass incidents cause almost 10,000 minutes of delays


Trespassers are seen on the tracks at Motspur Park in south-west London in dashcam footage from a train driver's cab - Image © Network Rail

Trespass incidents caused almost 10,000 minutes of delays to South Western Railway (SWR) services for the 2025/26 period.

Data released by Network Rail and British Transport Police (BTP) shows that 9,437 minutes worth of delays were caused, equivalent to about six and a half days.

Across England, trespass, cable theft and obstruction caused more than 3,300 hours of delays during the same period, making it one of the railway's biggest causes of disruption, with a significant impact on customers.

The SWR network had the third-highest rate of vandalism and obstruction across Network Rail's 14 routes, including deliberately placed items such as debris and other pieces of track on the railway.

The rail firm said an additional risk on its network was the fact it uses a third rail as electricity supply.  It carries 750 volts of direct current, which can cause severe or lifechanging injuries, or death.

As part of a new campaign launched by SWR and Network Rail, drones, sensors and smart CCTV are being rolled out to make it easier to catch and prevent trespassers.

The use of drones is a new strategy, which has been trialled at London Waterloo station.  Further drone units have been planned for Clapham Junction, New Malden and Walton-on-Thames.

Tom Desmond, operations director for SWR, said: "Trespass is one of the leading causes of disruption on our network, delaying our customers' journeys and costing taxpayers.  As part of our plan to deliver more reliable journeys, we're working with partners to reduce these types of incidents and improve our response so that we can keep services running."

From the BBC:

What are the drones going to do?  Drop skyhooks and lift the trespassers off the railway?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrt3Uj6H8JI ?