Following a recent incident, security experts are urging for long-term enhancements to rail network security, including airport-style scanners, armed officers on carriages, and increased private security personnel. Increased police presence and risk assessments are being implemented in the short term, with calls for greater resources and wider policy review.
Airport-style scanners and armed officers on carriages may be needed to protect ‘soft target’ rail network in the long-term, say security expertsAs well as deploying extra officers at major stations in Birmingham, York, Leeds, Manchester and London, police will also be on board trains running on the East Coast Main Line until at least Tuesday.
“This is not usual, they usually focus on stations, but it is important to reassure passengers,” a government source said.he is worried about “what happens after a couple of weeks” of a more visible police presence. He called for greater resources for forces across the UK.refused to rule out major security changes to the UK’s rail network following Saturday night’s attack. Defence Secretary John Healey said if there were “wider policy conclusions that we need to draw, then the Government will do that”.British Transport Police said there is nothing to suggest that it was terrorist incident at this stage. The Government said the UK terror’s level is unchanged. BTP said its patrols will be stepped up on trains and stations. More BTP officers will be on train carriages over the next few days,Rail firms may have to hire private security With police forces stretched, security experts said rail companies may have to permanently hire extra private security personnel to board trains. Many rail firms have begun hiring travel safe officers at stations and on trains in recent years. These are civilian staff in high-vis jackets trained by the BTP deal with low-level crime and antisocial behaviour, as well as looking out for any threats. Rory McGoldrick, chief executive of SafeCrowds Group security firm, believes all rail companies should carry out a new risk assessment to see if more TSO personnel are required after the Huntingdon attack. “They’re not there to replace British Transport Police, but they can support police. They have had extensive training on detecting threats, dealing with incidents, make a citizen’s arrest.”Security expert Will Geddes said TSO staff “have no power of arrest” and “may only be semi-trained” in dealing with violent passengers. They do not have the Tasers that BTP officers are equipped to use, he added. “So we need more British Transport Police officers on trains who can do serious interventions,” said Geddes, the managing director of the International Corporate Protection Group. Geddes also criticised successive governments for cutting or restricting levels of police staffing – calling for a funding boost for the BTP so the force can expand officer numbers. “Both Conservative and Labour governments have been utterly useless at preparing for a potential increase in risk and threat,” he said. “Ultimately, it will come down to cost and money. The Government has to take this seriously.” Phillips, former head of the UK’s National Counter Terrorism Security Office, said private security staff on trains “can’t do a lot”. The security expert, founder of the International Protect and Prepare Security Office , added: “What’s really needed is more officers. All forces, including the British Transport Police, are understaffed.”McGoldrick said bringing in airport-style scanners at major rail stations “could be a good thing” to reduce the risk of knives and others weapons on trains. There was a trial of scanning equipment at Stratford train station in east London in 2019. The technology – conducting full-body scans as people came through ticket barriers – is used in Los Angeles to spot knives, as well as guns and explosive devices. “We have them at major public buildings and stadiums, so why should the train network be any different?” said McGoldrick. However, Geddes warned that “the problem is there are so many stations”. He added: “If you have scanners at big stations, terrorists sand criminals will look for smaller stations. “Rather than manning those gates or scanners, I would rather have police officers travelling on trains, reassuring passengers, ready to respond if need be,” the security expert added.Phillips said airport-scanners would have only a limited role in train network. “It may be the big stations in big cities, it’s possible to achieve something with it to detect weapons and take the opportunity to do more searches. But it’s not practical option to cover every station.” Paul Bristow, the Mayor of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, said there may have to be discussions about airport-style security on the rail network. “I don’t want to see a situation where we’ve got metal gates and airport-style security before you board a train,” he told LBC Radio. “But, look, we have to think about these things.”Violence on trains has increased significantly over the past decade, official figures indicate. The number of assaults on the rail network has tripled in 10 years, according last month’s Office of Rail and Road’s report. There were just over 10,200 reported assaults – including common assault and harassment – between April 2024 and March 2025. Ten years ago, there were just over 3,200 assaults. “Trains are very soft target , even though officials have not confirmed this as a terrorist incident,” said Geddes. “We also know assaults have increased. So any extra security measures will have derivative benefits, it’s not just about satisfying counter-terrorism needs.”“Not immediately,” said Healey, adding: “We have to wait to see what the facts of this attack are … if there any wider policy conclusions that we need to draw then the Government will do that.”The stabbing attack is believed to have happened shortly after the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross departed Peterborough station. Police said 11 people had been treated in hospital. After nine originally presented with life-threatening injuries, five have now been discharged. BTP said the suspect is a 32-year-old black British national. Another man, a 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent, was initially arrested but has now been released with no further action. Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said the force was “confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident”. Although it is not being treated as a terrorist incident at this stage, police are still working on uncovering the motive for the attacks. The BTP has insisted that “it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident”.
Rail Security Security Measures Police Presence Risk Assessment Terrorism
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