New figures show crimes involving trespass, including cable theft, vandalism and obstruction, caused over 3,300 hours of delays for passengers -- equivalent to more than four months -- and cost the rail sector more than 10 million pounds in delay attribution minutes during 2025-26. In response, the industry has launched a new ‘Crime with Consequences’ campaign to make sure potential offenders are aware they will face the full force of the law if they commit crimes on the railway, and that the penalties include severe fines or prison sentences.

The plans, announced at the Labour Party conference in Manchester, could involve the state owning new trains directly rather than leasing them from private sector finance houses. The Government has calculated that more than 2.5 billion pounds has been paid in dividends by the ROSCos over the past ten years, and the companies have sometimes been accused of charging excessive amounts for older rolling stock, the capital cost of which would have been largely written off.