Rail trespass incidents spike, doubling in Sussex over five years

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 20:32 · Archive

Trespass-related delays on Sussex railways have more than doubled in five years, with 951 incidents in 2025/26 causing nearly 110,000 delay minutes for passengers.

Trespass-related delays on the Sussex rail network, including the Brighton Main Line, have surged dramatically. The latest figures show 951 incidents in 2025/26, up from 715 in 2021/22, resulting in nearly 110,000 'delay minutes' for passengers.

Paul Langley, head of security, crime and resilience at Network Rail's southern region, said the impact extends beyond passenger inconvenience. 'It can affect thousands of people on a daily basis,' he said. 'You're putting not only yourself at risk, but also those people who have to respond to it, and trespass-related crime not only has a huge impact on our staff working on the railway itself but also for people who just want to get to work, get home to their children, make a hospital appointment or catch a flight to the airport.'

In response, the rail industry and British Transport Police have launched a new campaign to crack down on trespass crimes. Enhanced collaboration will focus on improving evidence collection to support prosecutions and emphasising the impact of rail crime through victim statements. New technology, including drones and AI-powered CCTV, is being deployed to detect and deter trespassers.

Rail trespass incidents spike, doubling in Sussex over five years — Image: The Argus

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How it is being reported

Crackdown launched as rail trespass incidents spike in SussexTrespass-related delays in Sussex have more than doubled in five yearsThe Argus · 13 Oct, 20:00
Trespassing criminals in Sussex cause nearly 110,000 hours of delays for rail passengers in a yearNew figures show trespass-related crimes caused nearly 110,000 ‘delay minutes’ to affected trains in Sussex in 2025-26 – a figure that has more than doubled in five years.Chichester Observer · 12 Oct, 12:51

In this story: Sussex · Brighton Main Line · Network Rail · British Transport Police · Paul Langley

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